The Takeover
by Brooke-shutsano
Summary: Elsa is a lawyer who is not very happy with her job / life. After a hard day at work she decides to do something she hasn't done in a long time; she goes out to a pub. There she meets younger student Anna. Meanwhile things at work get complicated, as does her relationship to the young girl. Rated M for swearing, adult topics and explicit content
1. Chapter 1

**/Welcome to my little journey! This first chapter was just a little thing I wrote and it doesn't seem that interesting yet, but a lot more happens in the next chapters :) I'm writing this after publishing the fifth chapter (which, according to a review made the story '17x more interesting' (also fluff)) so even if you think this is a bit meh, try some of the next ones and maybe you'll grow to like it :) I'm losing sooo many views on this first god-damned chapter! xD**_  
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**The Takeover  
**An Elsanna fanfiction

**Chapter 1**

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" The sound of my heels resounded through the entirety of the hallway as I was trying to keep the binders and loose papers in my arms from falling down to the floor. I was very aware of the eyes following me, the way they seemed to judge me in just that single fleeting moment. I had grown used to it however, law school isn't something you get through without getting used to people throwing you weird looks once in a while.

I skidded to a halt in front of a set of heavy oaken doors and took a moment to regain my breath. I checked my hair in the oily sheen of the wood and was almost repulsed by the perfectness of the door - not a single dent or scratch distorted my reflection. Most of my white hair was still caught in the bun at the back of my neck, but a few loose strands hung down the sides of my face. I had my arms full however, so they'd just have to stay there. No biggie, right?

A crease in my skirt caught my attention but again, I had my arms full. I contemplated putting down the stack of files to tidy myself up, but just as I bent over the door swung open and I stared at the knees of a very well-tailored navy blue suit. I shot up and immediately felt a blush creeping up my neck. "Mister Holter, what a surprise."

"Hello miss Shields. I'm glad you could join us." He didn't offer to take anything off my hands, but I didn't mind. I preferred it that way.

"Please mister Holter, call me Elsa. I've told you many times." I attempted a smile as I walked past him into the large, square office. The heavy, hardwood table (just as oiled up as the door, I noticed) seemed way too small for the room and the small amount of people sitting at it looked like they were drowning. The walls were empty and would have been boring if it hadn't been for the wood embellishments all along the hip-high ridge that spanned the entirety of the wall.

"Quite." Mister Holter didn't seem impressed. I bit my lip softly as I put my things down on the table and tried to re-organise them after my little sprint through the hallways. My attempt at kindness hadn't quite turned out as I hoped. Well then, the ball was in his court.

"Miss Shields, you know why you're here?" _Yes, to make you bunch of weasels even more amounts of money over the backs of people who you don't care about._ I sighed.

"To legalise the takeover, mister Holter." I forced another smile as I sat down in a chair. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2: The pub

**/Ok guys, I just posted this very short first chapter two days ago to see if this thing could become something - and I already have 8 followers and 162 views! Thanks, you guys are amazing!**  
**/Chapters will be longer from now on, like this one (as long as I have the time and all that). Also just a heads up that English is not my native language, so please pardon me if some sentences sound weird... :)**

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**Chapter 2  
**The pub

I sat down behind the steering wheel of my car and slammed the door shut. I threw my briefcase on the passenger seat and grabbed the steering wheel, sighing deeply. The day hadn't been fun, ploughing through legal documents wasn't really my idea of a good time. When I enrolled in law school I had big dreams of becoming a criminal prosecutor or something, putting away bad guys - not this.

I leaned forward and let my head fall heavily on the middle of the wheel - only to shoot straight back up when the horn of my car started complaining loudly. My heart pounded in my throat and I felt my arms trembling with shock. I shot a glance out of the window and saw a few silhouettes stop in their tracks. Thank god it was dark and the inside light of my car wasn't on. I just sat as still as I could for a minute until I was sure no-one was looking anymore, then groaned and leaned my forehead in my hands. This day was not getting any better.

A sudden idea entered my head and almost made me pull up an eyebrow. I slowly ran my tongue over my lips while I pondered for a moment, then I resolutely twisted my key and started up my car. I was going to get a drink.

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I was well aware of my formal attire as I crossed the streets towards a quaint pub I remembered from when I was in my first year of law school. My brother used to take me there for a drink sometimes. I swallowed heavily, I hadn't thought about my brother in a while. My pace slowed and I started to rethink my plans for the evening, but then two young girls passed me. I stopped to stare at them as they walked away from me. They were barely clothed but didn't seem to mind whatsoever, almost skipping along and talking to each other excitedly, no doubt looking forward to that evening and whatever it may bring.

I straightened my back and started moving again. I had left my briefcase in my car, of course, which left my navy blue knee-length skirt, light blue blouse and a blazer that matched my skirt. I had also been wearing a delicate pearl necklace but I had left it with my other belongings in my car. The thought made me move my hand to my neck. It had been a gift and I felt attached to it, which was why I had left it behind. Didn't want to lose it.

I rounded a corner and the pub came in sight. I felt my mouth go slightly dry when I saw the sign above the door. It was just as I remembered it and memories washed over me. A smirk appeared around my mouth as I let my mind wander for a few minutes.

I noticed the same two girls I had seen earlier were standing in front of the door to go inside the pub as well. There was music thumping inside, quite different from what I was used to - but then again, it'd been quite some years since I had last been here. It would be interesting to see how much had changed.

"Hello... ma'am. How can I help you?" I looked up at the burly security guy. He was handing the girls back their ID's but his attention was already focused on me. He had short, bright blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard on his chin. I could see muscles roll underneath his tight, black shirt and couldn't help but admire his physique. He was even wearing a nametag.

"Hello, Kristoff. I'd like to go inside please." The man looked genuinely amused and at that moment I realised he wasn't that old yet, maybe twenty-one. His physique made him look older, but now I wasn't sure I could call him a man yet. More like a big boy.

"Sorry for laughing ma'am, I just wouldn't think someone like you would be interested in a place like this."

I cocked an eyebrow and resisted the urge to cross my arms. "I don't think that's any of your business. But I'll have you know I used to come here quite a lot during my college days."

"And exactly how long ago were those?" He quickly raised his hands in a soothing manner. "Apologies, I'm just teasing. I'd just take that nice jacket off before going inside, or people might think you're a cop and run." He gave me a small wink.

A man came walking up behind me. "Hey Kristoffel! What's the holdup?"

Kristoff sighed and leaned aside a little bit to look around me. "Shut up and wait your turn." I didn't look around, but suddenly felt a shove in my back. It wasn't very hard, but it still made me take a sudden step forward in order to keep my balance. Kristoff immediately moved in between me and the man behind me. "Ma'am, please go inside. This man won't be troubling you any more tonight, because he knows he has a club ban since his last visit."

"I... ok, thanks." I quickly pushed open the door and stepped into a narrow hallway that led to a door I didn't recognise. The bass of the music became louder, but it still sounded quite muffled. I didn't know they had installed a new sound proof door since I last was here. And now that I looked around, that wasn't the only thing they changed. The posters on the wall were gone and replaced with flawless white paint. It almost glittered and I had to take a closer look. I ran my fingers over the wall and noticed that the paint was more silver than white. It was beautiful.

"Uhm... excuse me." I looked up and blushed. A man looked down on me with a beer in his hand. "I'd like to go outside." I quickly stepped aside and took a deep breath to force down my blush again. I seemed to be doing that a lot today. I smiled sheepishly. But I was here for a drink, I needed to stop worrying.

As soon as I opened the door I was almost blown away by the thump of music. The pub as I knew it had disappeared. There was still a bar to the left, made from wood with a few stools. That was the only thing I recognised. Against the right wall was now a stage, complete with instruments. The base drum had a band logo on it, which meant there would probably be a band playing later on, but I couldn't read the name.

The area between the bar and the stage was mostly empty, but there was a handful of people dancing. I remembered it being full of round tables with stools around, but apparently big dance floors were the new big thing these days. I felt old.

I sat down at the bar. A cheery looking man came walking up to me. "Hello! You look like you need a drink, ya?" I smiled at his Scandinavian accent, even though it made it even harder to hear him over the loud music. I nodded at him and ordered a scotch with a touch of water. When he put it down in front of me and named the price I was a bit startled, but I handed him my credit card. "I can open a tab for you if you want, it will give you a ten percent discount on drinks, ya? Part of our big summer blowout!" He grinned.

I smirked at him. "Summer blowout? It's freezing outside."

"That's why we call it a blowout. Do you want me to open the tab or not?"

"Does it cause any monthly costs or anything?"

The man looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "Look lady, having a tab just allows us to charge your credit card once a month for the drinks you have. If you don't drink, we don't charge. That's it."

I blushed, a bit ashamed I slipped back into my legal role that quickly. Always had to know the small print. "I'm sorry. Yes, please open a tab for me."

The first sip tasted foreign on my tongue. I hadn't had a drink in a long time and I seemed to have forgotten the taste of scotch. Or it was just very bad stuff. Probably the latter, although the first didn't help either.

I put my credit card back in the inside pocket of my blazer. It had been a pain to find a women's blazer with an inside pocket, but I just liked having my valuables on my body. I had this fear that I couldn't fully explain, but the thought of losing things had haunted me since I had been a little girl.

Now that I had my drink I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Great, so I was in a pub and ordered a drink (and quite an expensive one at that). However the music made my ears throb and to be honest there wasn't that much going on. It was nine in the evening, maybe it was just too early. I had to give it some time.

Give what some time, however? What was I looking for? I came here for a drink, and if I was just here to get drunk I didn't have to wait for other people. I already realised I wouldn't be able to drive home later, but my apartment wasn't that long a walk from here so that should be fine. I didn't have work tomorrow, so I could sleep in for a little bit. Spend some time with my cats. I took a moment to reassure myself that I had left them enough water and food when I left home that morning and then it hit me. I just really needed people. Sure, I saw people during work, but that was always _work._ I really needed some good, social interaction.

The door opened and a small group of young men came in. They immediately headed for the bar and every single one of them eyed me. It made me a bit nervous, the way they just blatantly looked me up and down like that. Was I looking for that? A man? My last relationship had been quite a while back in university and I had broken up with him before graduation. I'd like to say it was because of some deep, mature reason - but to be honest he'd just been a dick. Ever since that I'd been married to my work.

I sighed. The group ordered several pitchers of beer and started downing it, slamming each other on the back whenever someone downed a glass (or even pitcher) in one go. They probably had a tab here too. I wondered whether it was on their own credit cards, or on their parents'. Damn, I must really be getting old to think of stuff like that.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed the bartender coming back up to me. He slung a cloth over his shoulder and leaned towards me. "Do you want a refill on that?"

I started slightly and then noticed the glass in my hand was already empty. Quite a bit faster than intended, and now that I was actually turning my head again I realised the world was swimming a little bit. "Maybe a glass of water for now."

When he sat the glass down next to me he lingered for a moment, as if he was unsure whether he wanted to say more. He seemed to finally come to a decision when he left and I felt a bit relieved. Great mindset for social contact, Elsa.

I downed my glass of water as the door opened again. This time a small group of girls came in. It seemed they travelled in gender packs nowadays. The internal joke made me grin. Maybe I needed another glass of water.

One of the girls turned her head and stared right at me as I still had the grin on my face. She cocked her head and grinned back at me. She had auburn hair hanging loose down her shoulders and upper back, springing into view from underneath a black beanie on the top of her head. Her hair seemed to flow like water as she moved and I found myself staring at it. I quickly realised that she was still looking at me and I felt another blush creep up my neck (was that the fourth or fifth one today?). Her bright green eyes caught mine and I quickly looked away, which made me catch the bartender's gaze. He smiled and picked up a scotch glass from underneath the bar, the question on his face. I sighed and nodded.

As he was pouring me my drink, the music started to die out. I looked up to see what was going on and saw that a man had taken the stage, a guitar hanging from a strap on his shoulder. There was a microphone standard in front of him and he adjusted it slowly and precisely, winking at the people now gathering in front of the stage. It still wasn't a huge crowd, but I saw the red-haired girl standing right up the front. A boy to her left seemed annoyed with her and was rubbing his arm. I brought my hand in front of my mouth. Had she elbowed her way to the front?

"Welcome welcome! I see we don't have a huge crowd tonight, but that's all good. We'll just get good Kristoff to open the doors and soon the people will be pouring towards the angelic sounds of our instruments."

A few people wolf-whistled, one yelled something less nice. It just made the man smile wider. He continued introducing his band mates, but my eyes kept being drawn to the redhead. Even though I just saw the back of her head and most of that was covered by a beanie, I could easily pick her out from the two dozen people in front of the stage. It was a pathetic audience.

As soon as the band started playing more people started coming in however. I had to admit myself, they were quite good. Maybe it was because they were playing covers from bands I actually knew, maybe it was the third scotch I ordered - but I was really enjoying the music.

All that drink had a side effect though. I got up from the bar and headed to the restrooms. Sitting on the toilet I felt that I was starting to pass the tipsy stage already. I wasn't used to alcohol any more, that much was certain.

Sighing I washed my hands and headed to the door. As soon as I reached to pull it open however, it suddenly swung inward. Hard. I couldn't get out of the way in time and the edge of the door hit me straight in the face.

"Shit!" I shouted, my hand pressed to the bridge of my nose. I felt tears well up in my eyes and looked up at the girl standing in the doorway. For a split second I thought it was the red-haired girl, but I quickly noticed that wasn't the case. It was a different girl, who seemed quite drunk herself.

She walked past me, looking at me a bit confused. "Sorry, did I do that?"

"Yeah you did, it fucking hurt!" I lowered my hand.

She paused at the door into a cubicle. "Are you like, a cop or something?"

I furrowed my brow. "No, I'm not a cop."

"Ok, good." She went into a cubicle and closed the door. I was flabbergasted. I stared at the door for a few seconds, wondering whether I should wait until she came out to give her a piece of my mind - but then figured it wasn't worth it. I inhaled deeply, then blew my breath out through my mouth. My nose didn't hurt that much anyway, it'd be fine. Just let it go.

I walked back towards the bar. I was planning on saying goodbye to the bartender and then head home, my party spirit (as far as it had ever existed) had died out. I was so distracted that I didn't notice the redhead standing at the bar, waiting for a drink whilst still dancing to the band behind her. I stopped in my tracks but she'd already seen me. It would look weird if I would suddenly walk the other way now, so I stood next to her. The rest of the bar was taken, the pub was starting to fill up quickly.

The redhead stared at me. "Oh my god, what happened to your face?"

I quickly brought my hand back up and then noticed the blood on the palm that had been pressed to my face.

The girl grabbed my elbow and waved at the bartender. "Hold my drink, I'll be right back!" The man looked at me worriedly, then nodded. I was then dragged back to the bathroom. "Honestly though, what happened?"

She stood me in front of a sink and took a paper towel from one of the dispensers. I held out my hand to grab it, but she slapped it away and started wiping off my face herself. I just stood there, slightly startled. The girl grabbed another handful of towels, wetted them and continued cleaning my face. I couldn't help but look at her. Her emerald eyes were focused on her work and shot from one part of my face to another. She was biting her lip in concentration, making me distract myself by counting the freckles on her cheeks.

When she finished she threw out the towels and seemed quite proud of herself. "There, all done." I smiled at her, not sure what to say. She just looked at me for a second, a slightly bemused look on her face. "You don't talk much, do you?"

I shrugged. "You seemed happy to do most of the talking." Her smile faltered for a bit. I quickly continued. "Talking in a good way. Not as in too much talking, just... good talking. You talk well." I felt like slapping myself on the forehead and could barely refrain myself from doing so, but the girl just laughed.

"Wow, that was... interesting." She eyed me up and down for a second, looking at my attire. I had been so focused on her face that I hadn't even noticed what she was wearing. It was a black band shirt, the same band that was playing in the pub I realised. She was wearing a pair of simple jeans with a hole in one of the knees and comfortable looking Converse shoes. Quite a contrast with me.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume you don't go out much."

I smiled. "You got me."

"I must admit I've been looking at you for a while and you don't seem to be having a lot of fun."

I felt slightly ashamed of myself, but I wasn't sure why. I used to be able to have a great time, but now with my job and all that... It gave me an idea for a good answer that might not give away my age. "I just had a rough day."

"Ah yeah, we all have those. And then you went to the bathroom and punched yourself in the face?"

I smiled. "That would've been the door, actually. Apparently it didn't agree with the way I treated it on the way in, so when I tried to get out it wanted payback."

I felt a bit ridiculous, cracking jokes in the bathroom, but the girl seemed amused.

"Well then, let's go make this night a good one!" She grabbed my hand and I felt an unknown tingle run up my arm. She stuck out her tongue to the door on the way out, which made me aware of our age difference even more, but then she took me back to the bar and ordered us both a drink. It was something I had never had before and came with a tiny paper umbrella. It was incredibly sweet but the girl drank it quite easily so I decided it wouldn't be that bad. The sugar almost made my teeth hurt but the kick of the alcohol followed quickly and drowned out the flavour.

I saw a sparkle in the redhead's eyes as she grabbed my empty glass and put it back on the bar. "And now we're going to dance." She pulled me away from the bar.

"Oh I'm not sure about this, I'm not a great dancer..." I felt really awkward in my tight skirt. The girl suddenly moved behind me and pulled my blazer off my arms and put it aside. I felt yet another flush creep up my face when I then felt her hands on my waist, removing my blouse from my skirt. She used her palms to rub the fabric up rather than just grabbing the shirt and pulling. It made me feel very, very uncomfortable - but also a strange kind of weak.

"Just listen to the music, and move." The girl closed her eyes and started moving to the beat of the song. She used her hips, shoulders, knees... I didn't move, I just stood there staring at her. I felt my mouth hang open slightly and I quickly closed it. I tried to mimic her movements but it was harder than it looked. The girl opened her eyes, saw me struggling and decided to help. She moved behind me, put her hands on my hips and leaned into me. "Okay, now close your eyes and let me lead." My mouth felt arid, my tongue thick against the roof of my mouth. I closed my eyes, a bit scared of what was going to happen next.

The girl started moving her body against mine and I felt the tingling again, but this time not in my arms. My knees got a bit weak, but that seemed to be helping with the dancing because the girl made encouraging sounds. At least from what I could hear over the music. I felt her breath in my neck, her hands on my hips and her chest pressed against my back. She even used her knees to make me bend mine, seemingly determined to get me dancing.

Then suddenly she was gone. I turned around, wondering what had happened, and saw her standing right behind me. She grinned wickedly. "You're pouting."

As I tried to stop my face swelling up to the colour and texture of a tomato, the girl just laughed. She put her hand on my forearm. "Have you ever done shots?" I shook my head, trying to avoid her eyes without looking too obvious. "Well then, let's pop that cherry, shan't we?"

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A rhythmic thudding filled my head. I kept my eyes closed, not sure what was going on. I tried swallowing but my mouth was extremely dry and tasted terrible. I tried moving my limbs but they felt heavy and it made my head hurt even more. I was almost afraid to open my eyes but decided to try anyway.

I looked up at a ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on it. It did not resemble my ceiling at all. I looked around carefully and saw I was in a small room with a desk and bookcase crammed against one wall and a bed, which I was in, against the other. My breathing quickened. "Please don't tell me..."

The door opened carefully and the redhead poked her head in. "Ah, you're awake. Finally, you were K.O. so long, I was afraid I might have damaged your head last night." She grinned that wicked grin of hers and pushed the door open further. She was holding a plate with what looked like toasted bread and a glass of milk in her hands. She was wearing nothing but boxer briefs and a shirt.

No. No, no no no no. This couldn't be happening. I threw a look at the bookcase and the desk. There were study books and school supplies scattered everywhere. This was a student's room.

"Are you okay?" The girl cocked her head and looked at me worriedly. I pushed myself up on my arms and realised I wasn't wearing my own clothes. I was wearing a large shirt that was definitely not mine, and to my horror I felt I wasn't wearing any pants at all. "Don't worry, I left your clothes out in the common area, they're not that badly creased..."

I felt like crying. What on earth happened last night? How many shots did we have? Did I actually go home with this girl? Did I... did I take advantage of a student? My breath started quickening and I sat up. I had to get out of here. I had to get out of here right now.

The redhead set the plate and glass down on her desk and moved towards me. "Hey, what's going on? You don't look so well."

"I'm sorry, I have to go." I was at least still wearing panties, so I stood up. I moved around the girl, very careful not to touch her. I pushed through the door into the common area. It was an absolute mess, but I didn't even notice. I quickly tracked down my clothes, putting them on as I moved around towards the door.

"Hold on, please! What's going on? Talk to me!" The girl had followed me and now stepped in front of the door, her arms crossed.

I closed my eyes and raised my hands. "Please get out of the way."

"What's gotten into you? I had a lot of fun last night, and I thought you did too. Why are you suddenly pushing me away now?"

My heart sank. So we did have sex. Oh god. I took advantage of a student, and a girl at that. How could I not remember that? How could I let that happen? I pressed my hand to my forehead. My head felt like it was going to explode, both from panic and the hangover.

"Just get out of the way!" I shouted at her, and I realised it a bit too late. I looked her straight in the eyes and I saw the hurt in them. Then she suddenly stepped aside and threw open the door.

"Fine, get the fuck out of my house then."

I stepped past her and didn't look back.


	3. Chapter 3: The retreat

**/...I'm at a loss for words guys. I guess I have to thank Elsannaheadcanons for this, almost 1,000 views and 36 followers! Whoop whoop! Lots of love, people.**  
**/If there is a very good idea you have or something you really want to see in the next chapters, I'm happy to consider it! Just leave me a review :) Don't be offended if I don't use it though, it has to fit with the outline I have in my head ;) But it's always nice to brainstorm a little bit. Anyway, I'll shut up now, good reading!****  
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**Chapter 3  
**The retreat

I ran down the stairs, using the railing to make sure I didn't tumble headfirst down the stone steps. Although maybe that was what I deserved.

I still had trouble believing what happened. I felt nauseous, partly with myself and partly because I had too much to drink last night. My breaths came quickly and my heart was thudding in my throat. Suddenly my foot missed a step and I felt myself lose balance. I managed to grab the railing and held on, causing my body to swing sideward and slam into the wall, my shoulder hitting the railing.

I blinked quickly a few times and licked my lips, my arm twisted painfully. I let go of the railing and slid downwards until I was sitting on the steps with my back against the wall. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"Relax Elsa. Calm down. Whatever happened, happened. Nothing to do about it now. Just forget about it. Make sure it doesn't happen again."

_How old is she anyway? Is she even of a legal age?_

"She's a student. She's not that young. Besides, she ordered alcohol last night."

_Maybe she just knew the bartender._

"Stop it, Elsa. Stop it." I closed my eyes and blew out my breath until my chest hurt. Then I sucked fresh air into my lungs, calming my brain down a little bit. I'd almost been hyperventilating, not a good idea. I just needed to get out of here, get home.

I heard a noise and looked up at the brown-haired young man coming down the stairs. He looked terrible, heavy bags under his eyes and clothes that didn't seem to have been washed in a long while. Probably another hangover victim. I smiled awkwardly as he threw me a curious glance as he walked past me, dodging all the stuff in the stairwell. It made me realise just what a mess I was sitting in. I worked myself up and checked my clothes. Thankfully I hadn't been sitting in something overly disgusting, but I definitely needed to get my suit to the drycleaners.

I followed the boy outside, keeping a distance between us. The front door led out onto a busy street with a bunch of cars speeding past. It was a suburban area though, there were just houses around us... and I didn't recognise anything.

I threw a glance at the boy, who was now leaning against the wall lighting a cigarette. His jeans and sweatshirt had probably been black at some point, but now looked like a flushed grey. Looking at him up close I noticed he had a few streaks of grey or white in his hair. It made him look older than he probably was, because his face seemed very young. Despite his stubble. He was barefoot, making me fear for his feet in between all this rubbish.

"Excuse me," I started. He looked at me as he blew out a puff of smoke, making me swat at the air with my hands. He shot me an apologetic grin.

"Sorry. I'm a bit tired."

"That's... okay. Uhm... Can you tell me where I am?"

The boy raised his eyebrows and laughed shortly. "I guess I'm not the only one who had a rough night." When he didn't receive a response, he took another puff of his cigarette and continued talking with smoke circling out of his mouth and nose. "You're out west. This here is a student accommodation flat for the Arendelle Medical University, or AMU. Heard about that?"

"Yes, I have. Is it close to where we are?" I felt relieved, this was something I could work with. I involuntarily thought about the red-haired girl from last night. Apparently she was in med school. It made me smile lightly.

The boy observed me briefly. He looked a bit confused, but amused at the same time. "Yeah it's two blocks away. Tell me, did Anna bring you home?"

"I don't know who Anna is. But thanks for the information, I think I can find my way from here."

"Hold up." The boy threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. I looked at him. The humour had left his eyes. "We're all quite protective of Anna around here. We don't like it when someone comes in and takes advantage of her."

"Again, I don't know who this Anna is."

"Did you come home with a girl last night?"

I felt a blush creep up my neck. "I don't see how it's any of your business, actually." I wanted to get out of there, so I turned around but the boy grabbed my arm. I stiffened. "Let go, please."

"Anna is the only girl in this building. And I heard two women yelling in her apartment just now. Listen, I'm not threatening you or something, but I'm just saying. We are all quite protective of Anna around here. It'd be best for everyone if you didn't hurt her."

I swallowed heavily. The boy suddenly let go of me and sighed. "But as long as you're not out to hurt her, we're all good. Everyone fights, right?" He smiled. "I just haven't seen you around before."

"I haven't been around before. And I'm not planning on being around again."  
_Don't say it like that Elsa, he'll think you're some perv who just took advantage of his friend for the night. Which you technically did, of course..._

I shook my head. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just tired, just like you."

"Come back up, I'll fix you some breakfast." I looked at the boy, apparently quite surprised - because he laughed. "I just don't want to let you walk out onto the streets looking like a raccoon. Anna's friends deserve better than that. And I want to apologise for being a bit of a dick to you. Like you said, we're both tired." He held out his hand. "The name's Sven, by the way."

* * *

"So, I was right? Anna brought you home?" Sven opened the door to his apartment and moved aside to let me in. I looked past him and grimaced. He grinned goofily and quickly moved to clear some stuff off the couch.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked, already dreading the state the bathroom might be in. However, now that I looked around, the apartment was messy but not filthy. Just stuff spread around everywhere. The lay-out seemed similar to Anna's apartment, even though I hadn't seen too much of that. There was a light blue couch right inside the door, pointed at a television set with a wooden coffee table in between them. There was a small kitchen to the left, complete with cupboards and a small dining table with four chairs. Straight ahead of me was a small hallway which led to a number of doors. Sven, his arms full of clothes, pointed me towards them.

"All the way at the back left. You can grab a clean towel, I don't mind."

_Why thank you, Mr. Gallant._"Thanks." I headed over to the bathroom as Sven seemed to do a super-sweep of the apartment. I counted the doors. There were six doors in total. So, four or five residents in one apartment. Maybe less. I opened the door to the bathroom and was surprised by a bathroom that was a lot cleaner than I expected. There was a spacious shower cabin in the back and a white sink to the left with a large mirror above it. When I saw my reflection my eyes widened. I looked terrible. My hair was messy and stuck out in every direction, I had heavy bags under my eyes and my make-up was all over the place. I really looked like a raccoon, like Sven had said. My esteem for the boy grew tenfold for not letting me leave while looking like this.

I opened a cupboard and was greeted by a stack of freshly washed towels. I was a bit puzzled by the different states the apartment was in, but I welcomed the cleanliness of the bathroom. I couldn't find a washcloth however, so I just ran water over my hands and rubbed my face as clean as it would get. My makeup was a bit reluctant to being cleaned off however, so by the time I got most of it off my skin was red and looked puffy from all the rubbing. I dried my face off and took another look at myself in the mirror. My hair was still a mess, but there wasn't much I could do about that until I took a shower, so I just tied it into a low tail in the small of my neck.

The smell of coffee greeted me when I stepped out of the bathroom. I walked back to the living area and couldn't help but smile. All the mess was gone and there was even a small vase set on the coffee table. I now noticed the soft, dark blue carpet that covered the floor. For a moment I thought the carpet even covered the kitchen floor, but I quickly noticed that was linoleum.

Sven poured me a steaming mug of coffee and gestured me towards the couch. I sat down carefully and crossed my legs. I wasn't completely sure what my stomach would do with anything I swallowed right now however, so I left the coffee where Sven put it until I felt sure I could handle it.

"Would you like some toast? I'm making some for myself anyway, so it's no hassle."

I smiled gratefully. "That'd be great. I left the towel in the bathroom by the way, thanks for letting me use it."

"No worries, Anna's friends are our friends." He turned towards the kitchen counter again and silence fell. I licked my lips and bounced my foot up and down. _Well, this is awkward._ "No, it's not."

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"No, no. Just talking to myself."

"Oh. That's cool, I guess." Sven shot me a look. I wanted to slap myself on the forehead. Talking to myself. Really? Yeah, that's totally normal. Come on, act normal.

"So, you're all medical students in here then?" I asked.

"Yeah, and no. AMU doesn't just teach regular 'got flu? Here's a painkiller' type doctors, there's a few other faculties as well. Mental Health is one, so psychology and psychiatry. Then there's manual therapy, including osteopathy, physiotherapy and stuff like that. But I guess you could say we're all upcoming doctors. " He sounded very enthusiastic and I smiled. The coffee smelled really good and I decided to give it a try - and found out it was very good. "Is cheese okay?"

"Excuse me?" I looked up.

"For the toast. Is cheese okay? I also have some chocolate spread."

"Oh, yeah cheese is fine. Thanks."

"I could make one with either for you, if you want."

"No thanks, cheese is fine." I swirled the coffee around in the mug. Sven was being so friendly, even after I took advantage of his friend. If only he knew.

I felt some fear starting to claw inside my chest. He seemed like a strong lad, what if he found out and got angry? Would he hurt me? _No Elsa, calm down. Just don't let on, act cool and you'll be out of here in no time. He's a nice guy. Just keep him on this subject._ "What do you study exactly?"

"I want to get into rehabilitation, so helping people who've sustained serious injuries get back on their feet. Literally and figuratively." He grinned. "But I need to get through regular medical training first." He finished the toast and walked over to me with two plates in his hands. He set one down in front of me. He had made me two pieces of toast, one with cheese and one half / half with cheese and chocolate spread. I looked at him quizzically.

"I kind of already started smearing chocolate spread before you answered you only wanted cheese." He pouted. "But then you said you only wanted cheese. Sorry. Should've asked it differently."

I laughed out loud. "God, you're quite something."

"That's what she said." He grinned and turned towards me. He pulled one leg up unto the couch and leaned sideways against the back, his hand supporting his chin.

"Who?" He looked at me with a confused look on his face. I rephrased my question. "What who said?" He snorted and brought his hand to his face.

"Oh man, I thought you were joking. It's just a saying, never mind."

Silence fell once more as he grabbed a piece of his own toast and started chewing. I grabbed mine as well, figuring the sooner I finished my food, the sooner I could leave. He was a nice guy, but I didn't want to hang around for too long.

"So, what do you study?" He looked at me expectantly.

"Me?"My heart made a little jump. How old did he think I was? "I'm uhm, I'm studying law."

"Oh cool! Where? Somewhere around here?"

"No not really, it's way out east. But it's just law, nothing as exciting as medicine."

"Well I wouldn't say that, it's still helping people right? Putting away bad guys, helping people sue companies and all that..."

"Yeah, well sometimes it just kind of sucks." _Like when you're being paid to take the livelihood away from nice, hard working people._

"Well," Sven started speaking, but there was a noise from the bedrooms. He looked towards the narrow hallway and smiled. "Looks like Kristoff's awake," he said.

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised, half-eaten toast forgotten in my hand. "Did you say Kristoff?" My question was answered when the burly blonde boy walked into the common area, dressed in nothing but a pair of pyjama pants.

"Kristoff, we have a guest damnit. Put on a shirt." Kristoff didn't really look at me as he trudged into the kitchen.

"So are there any more people living in this apartment, or?"

Sven followed Kristoff with disapproving eyes for a moment before looking back at me. "Nope, just Kristoff and me in here. We had another roommate before, a guy, but he moved out just a few months ago. We don't mind, it's nice having the place to ourselves. Plus, Kristoff is such a neat freak, he keeps the bathroom nice and clean."

I had started on my second piece of toast and was drinking my coffee in between. It felt like a waste to drink it so quickly, but I still didn't have a mind to staying here for a long time. It was quiet for a little while, with Sven flicking through some channels on the tv. It was actually quite relaxing.

Kristoff collapsed into a chair at the dining table with a big bowl of steaming something. He took a few bites of what looked like eggs, bacon and cheese. He threw me a smile and looked back at the television set, but then his eyes shot back to me.

"Wait a minute, didn't I see you last night?"

Sven didn't take his eyes of the TV. "Yeah, Anna brought her home last night."

I blushed, but shot a smile back at Kristoff. "Yeah, you wondered what someone like me would be doing at a club."

Sven laughed out loud. "Oh my god Toffy, you said that? You're an asshole sometimes, you know that?"

"Don't call me that. And I apologised about that, but I was just teasing!"

Sven looked at me. "You have to excuse him, sometimes he acts like he's been raised by trolls."

Kristoff shot up. "Don't call my Pabbie a troll."

Sven raised his hands apologetically. "Dude, relax. Geez, last night was a real bitch, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a lot of annoying guests." He looked at me quizzically. "Did you have a good night? Anna usually doesn't just take people home."

The implication was there, right there. I knew it. My hands got a bit sweaty and I had trouble holding on to the coffee mug, so I set it down on the table. "Yeah, I got a bit drunk is all."

"Ah, so..." Kristoff started, but I cut him off.

"Thanks lads, but I really have to get going now." I stuffed the last piece of toast in my mouth, got up and attempted a warm smile. I felt I wasn't accomplishing one.

"Whoa, what's gotten into you?" _Well, this is a nice little flashback. _The realisation made me remember, the memory made me cringe. What if they talked to Anna and found out what really happened? I couldn't get to know them too well. They already thought I was a law student, what was going to happen next?

"I have an appointment, so I should really go home and change and all that."

"An appointment, on Saturday afternoon?" Sven got up, my empty mug in his hand. Kristoff was still sitting at the table, turned towards me with a bit of an aggressive look on his usually friendly face.

"What exactly happened last night, Elsa?" _How the fuck does he know my name?! _I moved towards the door. I put my hand on the doorknob but turned around to at least attempt amicability.

"Thanks for the food and coffee, Sven. It really was good coffee."

"Don't mention it." Kristoff was the one who answered and he was getting up from the table. I smiled at him as well, knowing all too well that my eyes were starting to water a bit.

"See you around, Kristoff!"

I turned around and left through the door. I had to stop myself from running down the hallway, just like I had done not twenty minutes ago when I had left the redhead's apartment. _Anna's apartment._ No, I couldn't think like that.

As I walked down the stairs every noise behind and above me made me fear Kristoff was coming after me with a baseball bat in his hands. Or just his hands, those were quite formidable on their own. I reached the street in safety however, and started walking.

I was actually quite close to the pub, which made sense if Kristoff worked there. It took me only a few minutes to reach the venue. I walked past it with my eyes on the pavement in front of me, my heart still racing. I realised I was memorising the way I was going. No, I shouldn't - I could never go back there. _Then why are you already thinking about the next time you go there?_

I shook my head. I needed to get the girl out of my head. I slowed my pace a little bit. I just needed to get my mind off of her, that was all. I started mumbling to myself.

"I need to prepare some documents before Monday, I guess I can do that tomorrow." _Remember her hair? How it fell down her shoulders?_

"Mr. Holter will want to see some prospects." _She's quite caring, cleaning your face off like that. Ah, her face. With those cute little freckles._

"Maybe I should just buy a new suit, I'm kind of ready for a new one." _Maybe we could go dancing together again._

I reached my car and opened it. I sat down in the driver's seat and grabbed the steering wheel. I remembered not to slam my head onto it as I had done yesterday. "Get her out of your head, Elsa." I sucked my tongue. I tasted the remnants of cheese and coffee in my mouth. Not always the best combination, but right now it tasted quite wonderful. I sighed. I could have spent more time at Kristoff and Sven's, they seemed like really nice guys. Just watching a movie or something. _Yeah, before you took advantage of their protégée._

I slipped the pearl necklace back on my neck and savoured the feeling for a moment. Then I opened my bag and took out my phone. I typed in the unlock code and stared at the screen. At four AM that night I had received a text message from an unknown number.

"Hey Elsa! I took a business card out of your blazer, hope you don't mind. You're lying beside me right now, quite fast asleep - but I just wanted to let you know I had a great night. I guess you'll read this when you get back to your car tomorrow! Haha a little surprise from me! Love, Anna."


	4. Chapter 4: The filler

**/A bit of a filler story here guys, where we get to meet THE CATS. Okay, not that exciting, I know... I've had a weird week, a lot of stuff to deal with. I promise I'll do my best to post a longer (and more exciting) chapter next!**

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**The filler

_She has my phone number._ I stared at my phone and reread the text. _Oh shit, which of my business cards did she take?!_ I frantically clawed at the inside pocket of my blazer, heart racing. I pulled out one of the business cards and let out a relieved sigh. This one just said my name and contact details. I had new ones made recently which stated my job and the law firm I worked at. Thankfully I hadn't swapped them out yet.

_Why thankfully? It's not like you're going to see her again. Who cares what she knows._ I dropped the business card on the passenger seat and sighed. What was wrong with me? Why did my mind keep going back to the girl, and why did I keep assuming I'd see her again?

I turned the key and started the car. I just needed to get home, take a shower.

* * *

As soon as I opened the door to my apartment, I heard loud meowing. A slight smile played around my mouth. "Hey Max, hey Sitron!" I bent down to scratch the cats behind the ears. "You won't believe the night I've had." I walked further into the apartment, heels clicking on the wooden floor. I took off my blazer and dropped it on the white couch, followed by myself. The cats immediately jumped up onto the couch and started climbing on me.

Max came up to my face and licked my chin. I giggled and gently pushed him off. Sitron quickly curled himself on my lap and started staring at me with his dark eyes. His fur had a beautiful light brown colour, almost the colour of straw. Max on the other hand was completely white. I looked back at Sitron. "Oh, so you want to hear the story?" He just blinked at me slowly, his nails digging into my skirt contently. "Okay then, I'll tell you guys. I went out after work, because Mr. Holter had been riding me down all day..."

By the time I finished my story both cats were sleeping on my lap, a large ball of white and brown fur. Max was using Sitron's hind quarters as a pillow and vice versa - it was a little kitty yin yang. I smiled as I looked down on them. I kind of wanted to get up and take a shower, but I didn't want to disturb the cats... so I just rested my head back on the couch. I had enjoyed telling my story, but now everything was quiet again. The white walls were quite empty and unyielding. I looked to my left, where a nice modern kitchen was staring back at me from a slightly raised platform. I rarely used the thing. I enjoyed cooking, but cooking for just yourself was such a waste of time.

The wooden floor was one of the things I enjoyed most about the apartment. It was dark and had a prominent grain. Some days I liked to just lie down on the floor, tracing the patterns with my fingers. It usually ended with Max and Sitron chasing my hands around.

I looked straight ahead at the television set. It consisted of a rather large flat screen TV, complete with sound system and blu-ray player. Like the kitchen, I rarely used it. I was more of a reader, but I made quite some money as a corporate lawyer and I did enjoy shopping. Just the sensation of owning something new, standing in a store and spending money... It made me feel happy. The glass coffee table in between me and the TV had been one such purchase. It was a beautiful table though. It sat on a dark red rug... which had been an impulse purchase as well. I really needed to get my shopping urges in check.

To my right was a large bookcase, which I used more often. It was filled with books of all shapes and sizes and I'd read all of them. I really needed to get out to buy some more, but the case was full... maybe I should buy a new bookcase as well. There was plenty of wall space left in the large rectangular room.

I looked down at my lap again. The cats hadn't moved, but I should really get up. I was still feeling very dirty and grainy, like I'd been sleeping in a bed full of sand. I didn't think Anna kept her room that filthy so it must be the hangover. Whatever it was, I really wanted a shower.

Carefully I slid my arms underneath the two cats until they were lying on my lower arms instead of my lap. I gently lifted them up and placed them on the couch cushion to my left. Max looked up at me with an accusation in his eyes. "Sorry," I whispered.

* * *

I enjoyed the feeling of the soft towel on my skin. I had scrubbed myself down until my skin saw red and the salt in the scrub started stinging. I ended with a freezing shower, as I always did. It left me feeling fresh and awake, as opposed to hot water. I didn't really like baths either, for the same reason. Always made me feel a bit hot and uneasy. I did own a bath, because it came with the apartment, but I never used it. The shower stall, however... It had natural stone on three sides and a glass door on the fourth. It was a rain shower, and very well used. It was not uncommon for me to take two showers a day.

As I was living up on the 21st floor and my windows didn't look out on any other flats, I just wrapped my hair in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. The cats were still sleeping on the couch. Had they waited up for me to come home last night? I shook my head. They were cats, not people.

The bathroom led out back into the living room, behind the couch. I walked out onto a raised platform, the same height as the kitchen. I guess you could say the seating area was just lowered, but it just depended how you looked at it. I spent too much time thinking about useless things like that.

I moved into my bedroom, where a queen sized bed with white sheets stood in the middle of the room. The bedroom wasn't huge but allowed enough space for two closets. I opened them and wondered what I'd wear that day. I checked the clock on my night stand. It was one in the afternoon. It felt like I had been awake for at least thirty hours already, so much had happened...

I slipped on a pair of jeans and a dark green blouse. I enjoyed how the colour stood out against my hair. Ever since I had been young I enjoyed wearing dark clothes to set off my hair. I still did it.

I rubbed my hair off with the towel and dropped it on the floor. I'd clean it up later. I grabbed my laptop and moved back to the living room, where I sat back down on the couch. Max immediately got up and wanted to climb back up onto my lap, whilst Sitron remained comatose. Max complained loudly when I put the laptop on my lap however, taking up his intended space. "Come on Max, I need to get some work done." However when I opened up my laptop and opened my e-mail I realised I couldn't be bothered to do any work right now. I sat there on the couch, wondering what I could get up to, when my mind wandered back to last night yet again.

"Forget it, Elsa. Just forget it." I opened up my browser and it showed me Google. Without thinking I entered 'Anna' in the search field and hit enter. It showed me a few Wikipedia pages. I quickly hit backspace to return to the homepage, but it just removed the last letter from my search query. Continuingly hitting backspace didn't help so I quickly closed the entire browser by hitting alt-F4.

_Oh my god what if she googles my name._ My eyes opened wide. Then I quickly shook my head. _Who cares if she finds out you're way too old for her. You're never going to see her again, remember?_

I put down my laptop and got up to make myself a cup of tea. The quiet of the apartment pressed down on me and as I stared at the kettle, urging it to boil, I realised I didn't want to stay inside today. I wanted to go out to a bistro to get a cup of coffee, not sit on the couch with my two cats wasting the day away.

By the time the kettle shut itself off, the water audibly boiling, I was lying on the couch with my head on a pillow. The cats immediately took advantage of the situation and curled themselves onto my abdomen and hips. Max stretched himself, digging his claws into my hip and I told him off. It didn't do much though.

"Let's see..." I opened my phone's contact list. I scrolled past my co-workers, not wanting to think of work today. My boss didn't even come into consideration. "I haven't seen Belle in a long time," I told myself. _But she's moved in with that guy now, wasn't she pregnant as well?_ _And Jasmine has gone to the middle-east for that volunteer project of hers... building a hospital? No she's a nurse, so she's nursing there. Or both._ I frowned, whilst keeping on scrolling. When I hit the last name however, it struck me. _You don't have anyone to hang out with, no-one to call._ Well, shit.

My mind wandered to Kristoff and Sven and the relaxed atmosphere that morning. I dropped my phone next to me on the couch and stared at the ceiling. We could just watch a movie. It didn't have to be anything grand or weird. Just a movie and some popcorn.

_But you'd most likely - no, definitely - see Anna. She'll have told them what happened by now. Do you honestly think they'll let you hang out on their couch when they find out you took advantage of her?_ I rested my arm over my eyes and sighed. I couldn't go back there. I used my free arm to pet Sitron, who walked up and sniffed my face. I looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I'm fine, Sitron. I'm fine."

_Or at least that's what I keep telling myself._


	5. Chapter 5: The truth

**/Okay, I promised a longer chapter. And well, I kind of got hooked and the word count just spun out of control! Wrote this in one go and didn't feel like fact-checking too much. There's some legal stuff in here, and it might not be correct (I'm not in law school) but just pretend it's super smart and correct OK?**  
**/Love the reviews I've been getting, making me all fluffy inside. Aww, you guys.**

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**The truth

"What the..." I woke up to something repeatedly knocking against the side of my head. For a moment I thought someone was in the room with me, or Max had developed very strong paws - but when I woke up I realised it was my phone, telling me I had a text message.

_What time was it?_ I picked up my phone, checking the time. _Seven AM. Monday morning._ I stared blankly at my phone for a few seconds, trying to get the vivid dream I had been having out of my head. The text message was from an unknown number, but there was something about that time that stood out to me. _Seven AM. Monday._

My eyes flew open. "Oh shit, work!" I shot up, inciting loud complaints from Max and Sitron. My heart was racing, but not with excitement. My job sucked, and the knowledge that I had done very minimal work the day before didn't help to psych me up. Still, I didn't want to lose my job, so I should better show up on time.

I wasn't supposed to be meeting with anyone important that certain Monday, so in my hurry I decided casual attire would be fine. As I was stuffing my left leg down a pair of white skinny jeans I thought back to Saturday afternoon and Sunday. I had ended up staying in, enduring a constant struggle with myself between wanting to text Anna and knowing I shouldn't. Most attempts at doing some work ended up frustratingly fruitless. The weekend had ended with pizza on the couch, making rare use of my television set by watching a movie.

I slid a black shirt over my head and grabbed a brush to straighten my hair out. _Maybe I should cut it._ "No time to think about that, Elsa, you're late." I tied my hair back in a ponytail and quickly put on a black dress shirt. As a lawyer, casual has its limits.

I burst out the front door of my building with minimal make-up on my face and a mug of coffee in my hand, nodding at Eric the doorman for holding the door for me. I had surprised myself by not even being that late and having all my stuff in my bag when leaving. The mug would probably start living a life with the other ones in my car, ending up embarrassing me when a rare passenger would sit on it or fish it out from underneath the seat because it smelled. I wondered how many mugs were already in my car. I had started using air freshener because it smelled. Maybe I needed a new car.

_Stop getting distracted and get to work, you twat._ I passed underneath the trees in front of my building, throwing a smile at the paper boy as he put his bike up against one of them. He was terribly late with his rounds, but I didn't have a newspaper subscription so I didn't really care. I had stopped trying to stay up to date with everything that happened, the most important things ended up being discussed at the water cooler at work anyway.

I opened my car door and slid in the driver's seat, stabilizing my mug and throwing my bag onto the passenger seat. I heard my phone buzzing and I fished it out of my bag with one hand whilst trying to insert the keys into the ignition with my left hand, ending up dropping the keys between my feet.

I distractedly answered my phone whilst reaching for my keys, trying to slide them towards my hand with my feet. "This is Elsa Shields."

"Hello miss Shields. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." I shot up, hitting my head on the windshield wiper switch next to my steering wheel.

"Mister Holter! Good morning. No, you are not interrupting, I was just on my way to work." _He didn't mention anything about a meeting or something today, did he? No he didn't. I would've remembered._ My chest clenched. _Oh please don't tell me I forgot about something important._

"I am just calling to let you know we're moving everything forward. We would like you to finalise everything this week." My heart sank into my shoes.

"This week? But sir, part of the agreement is that we allow the current owners of the company enough time to get things in order and to perhaps look for a new job. I thought the actual annexation of the company would be three months from now."

"That was part of the agreement, yes. It is no longer. I want to be done with this matter within two weeks. Can it be done?"

I licked my lips and closed my eyes. I really, really hated my job. I felt some anger rising in my chest. "Mister Holter, we can't just kick these people out onto the street this week. All these legal matters drained their finances, they can't..."

"Miss Shields, can you do it?"

"As I was saying, they do not have the finances to pay for their home if we take away their company now. As you know, the mortgage..."

"Miss Shields." The tone of his voice silenced me. "Can you do it."

I hesitated for a second, then sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. "Yes, Mister Holter. I can do it."

"Good. I expect to see you in half an hour."

"I thought you had Mondays off?" I was cut off mid-sentence by the beep from the phone telling me he had already hung up. I kept the phone there for a moment, staring out the window. The paper boy threw me an excited wave as he got on his bike and drove off to the next apartment building. I should give him a Christmas bonus. Oh no, I don't get his newspaper.

I threw the phone aside without further looking at it. _Bloody hell Elsa, stop being so distracted all the time._

* * *

Despite the rough start of the day and the fact it would probably bite me in the ass later, I enjoyed wearing casual attire to work that day. Not wearing heels made moving around the law firm a lot easier. I greeted the desk clerks at the main floor of the big office building and got into the elevator safely. Without meeting Mister Holter, that was. I squeezed myself in between a bunch of very well dressed people. "Twenty-five, please." A man shot me a strange look before hitting the button. The doors slid closed and sooner than I wanted I got out on my firm's floor. The marble was enjoyably quiet as I passed the front desk with the big, golden letters stating the name of the firm above it. I managed to get to my cubicle without being spotted by anyone important and sat down in my chair. Well, that was that part of the day done and dusted. Hopefully it'd remain quiet.

I opened my inbox and saw an e-mail from Mister Holter (or rather, his PA) reminding me that he needed everything done that week. I reread it a couple of times, the anger building in my chest again. I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands behind my head. Yes, I was a lawyer who was very well capable of doing this work. And yes, it paid handsomely. However, was this really what I wanted to be doing?

_Wow, this weekend really changed your perspective, didn't it?_ "Shut up," I mumbled. I massaged my temples and straightened up again. _The least you could do is warn them._"That could cost me my job." _You're a Shields, you can find a new position somewhere. _"Oh come on, I'm fighting enough with myself about that stupid girl, I don't need to add this to the list." _You'll be remembered for your work, not your inner dialogue. _"...shit."

I grabbed the company phone that was on my desk but reconsidered. I got my phone from my bag and saw that I now had three text messages from the same number. _No, make the call first, before you lose your nerves._ I swallowed and dialled the number.

The phone was picked up by a cheery sounding woman on the second ring. "Good morning, Almstedt firm."

"Good morning, this is Elsa Shields with Holter and Shields law firm."

"Miss Shields." The voice sounded less cheery now. "How can I help you?"

"I am looking for Mister or Mrs. Almstedt."

"You are speaking to Mrs. Almstedt."

My heart made a little skip. I hadn't completely prepared the speech in my head yet. "Oh, I apologise. I didn't realise."

"Yes?"

I noticed I had dropped a silence and shook my head. I couldn't back down now. "Mrs. Almstedt, I'm sorry for disturbing you." I lowered my voice a little bit. "As you most likely know, I am working on the takeover of your company by the one I work at."

"I am well aware."

"Well I am calling you to give you a heads-up. Mister Holter is planning on finalising everything this week."

A silence fell. I gave the woman on the other side of the line a moment to process what I had just told her, but the silence grew longer and longer and at that moment I received another text message. "Mrs. Almstedt?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because..." _Now is the time to push through, come on._ "Because I do not agree with what my boss is doing. I did not sign up for law school because I really, really wanted to kick hardworking people out of their homes."

"I don't know what to say." The voice on the other side of the line started trembling and I heard a man in the background asking what was going on.

I gritted my teeth. I had been working on this case for a while, looking into the background of the company and any loopholes that would make it easier for Mister Holter to sink his teeth into the small law firm. It was a family business, handed down three generations. Compare that to Mister Holter... I licked my teeth and sighed deeply to relax myself. Not the time.

"Please tell me you will start taking the necessary steps." I heard some movement beside my cubicle and stopped for a moment to make sure no-one was listening along.

A man's voice came through the telephone now. "Elsa, thank you."

The man was clearly a bit distraught, so I ignored the fact he had used my first name like that. "Mr. Almstedt. How much do you know?"

"My wife just told me. Again, thank you. I know you're taking a risk by telling us this. We will immediately start making arrangements. I know..." I heard the man lick his lips. "I'm sure your father would have been proud."

A tingling spread through my arms and I listened to the blood rushing to my ears for a second before hanging up the phone. I swallowed heavily and took a deep breath.

"Do you need a glass of water, miss Shields?" My throat clenched as my head turned to the side to stare at the intricately carved golden button of Mister Holter's waistcoat. "Or do you maybe need a cup of coffee to have while you pack up your things?" You could've heard a needle drop in the office. There was no sound of keyboards, no-one talking, not even the rattling of the coffee machine.

I slowly rose from my seat and stuck my head out over the walls that made up my cubicle. Every face seemed to be frozen in time, staring at me and Mister Holter. I wasn't exactly close to any of my colleagues, but I had worked with most of them. We got along, but I knew I couldn't count on any of them rushing to my aid. Nor did I want them to.

"You know you can't fire me, Mister Holter." My voice surprised me. It wasn't shaky as I expected, but calm and reserved.

"You can quit."

"Yes. Yes, I guess I could." I looked Mister Holter straight in the eye. He almost had a smug look on his face. I loathed him so much in that moment, it was hard to express. "You ran this company into the ground, Mister Holter."

My phone vibrated in my hand and I couldn't help my eyes shooting to it. I pressed a button to make it stop making noise and it opened up my message folder. I flash read my own name a couple of times, and then the first sentence of the third message jumped out at me.

'Anna's been arrested.'

_Wait, what? Anna's been arrested? What the hell?_

"Well miss Shields, I guess the choice is yours." My mind was still trying to wrap around what I had just read and the situation I was in. I guess I could say my job farewell. Mister Holter couldn't directly fire me but he could make my life a living hell. Then again, it already kind of was, and at least it made me some very good money. And I couldn't just leave my inheritance go to waste by leaving it at the mercy of Holter.

_Hold on, Anna's been arrested._ I opened up the texts.

'Elsa, Sven said you were in law school. Anna's been arrested, we need your help. Please call me, Kristoff.'

'Elsa, can you please call me? I have free texts but no minutes left, please. Call me. Anna's really in trouble.'

'Anna's been arrested. Elsa? Hello? CALL ME.'

'What the fuck happened between you two? Well whatever it was, drop it. CALL. ME. NOW.'

'They're talking about hauling her off to jail, Elsa.'

_What on earth happened?_

"Miss Shields, I'm sorry I'm interrupting this probably very interesting thing on your phone."

I pressed the call button on my phone. "Mister Holter, I'm terribly sorry, but I need to make a phone call. I will come back to you." The realisation of what I said suddenly dawned on me and I looked away from my phone. There were a couple of very shocked faces, some ducked away into the safety of their cubicles and there were even two that looked like they might burst into laughter. My head turned to see a quickly reddening Mister Holter.

"Miss Shields, put down that phone." I heard Kristoff pick up in my hand and yelling into the phone when I didn't answer.

"I'm sorry Mister Holter. I need to take this." I brought the phone up to my ear as I pressed myself past the man and set off to... anywhere but here, trying not to run hysterically. I heard someone applaud as I hurried out of the office and into the women's bathroom.

"Kristoff." I locked the door and leaned against it, my other hand pressed against my forehead.

"Elsa, what the fuck? Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"I'm sorry, I've been... busy. There's a lot going on. But tell me, what's this about Anna?"

"She's been arrested, like I've texted you a hundred times. I'm down at the precinct and I've managed to stall them, but... well, let's say I don't think my renditions of police interventions at the pub will keep them busy for much longer. I'm running out of stories."

I felt panic clawing at my chest and throat and pushed it away with the only weapon I had available at that moment. My professionalism. "What's she been arrested for?"

"Something minor. But well, she's kind of a well-known personality around here." I heard him hesitate. "She acts out. She's a really nice girl, as you know. Please, I don't want her ending up with a criminal record or something."

"Has she actually been arrested, or just brought in?"

"A... wait, what?" I sighed. I couldn't leave this to Kristoff, clearly. "What about her parents?"

"She doesn't want me to call them. It's complicated."

I swore under my breath. "Tell me about it," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Never mind. You said you were at the precinct? I'm on my way. Just... tell them Anna's lawyer is on her way and that I'm calling on the right to..." I tried digging into the criminal law classes I had had, but they'd been a while back and I couldn't recall the correct terms right now. Might as well wing it then. "The right to client counsel or something."

"What?"

"Just let them wrestle with that until I get there, it should stall them a bit longer."

"Just please get here, Elsa. If Anna rakes up a criminal record it could get her kicked out of school."

I hung up the phone. It prompted me to enter a name with the number so I could save it. In all the chaos it seemed silly that it made me pause, but it took me half a minute to enter Kristoff's name and hit save. I rubbed my temples again and gathered courage to face the office on my way out. Or mainly, Mister Holter. Although he didn't seem important right now. _Anna needs me._

I stepped out of the bathroom onto the office floor and headed to my cubicle, where Mister Holter was actually still waiting. I guess he wanted to see me grovel to him. Well, fat luck.

"Mister Holter, I apologise but I am afraid I'll have to reschedule our meeting." I moved past him and grabbed my bag. In a sudden urge I also grabbed the miniature snowman that was sitting on my desk. It had been a Christmas gift and I didn't want it to be left behind in such a hostile environment.

"Excuse me?" I could almost feel him bloat up behind me and when I turned back I had a professional smile on my face.

"Yes, this meeting. Exactly this one. Something has come up and I am using one of the many, many vacation days I have been saving up."

"Miss Shields, you cannot just walk out like this. Your parents..."

"You WILL leave my parents out of this," I half said, half shouted at him, immediately losing the professionalism I was trying to fling at him. I saw a slight smirk tug at the corner of his mouth and I knew I had just given him ammunition. But my phone was still clenched in my hand, reminding me of where I was needed most right now - with Anna. The mere thought of the redhead made everything here seem less important. Especially the man standing in front of me right now, seemingly quite smug with himself.

"I will let the front desk know when I plan on returning to work," I said. I once again moved past Mister Holter and headed to the exit. I avoided making eye contact with the other people in the office although it felt like the atmosphere had changed in my favour. I straightened my back a bit more and took the last few strides to the elevator doors with as much dignity as I could muster in my jeans and flat shoes. Turns out it was quite a lot.

* * *

"I may or may not have earned myself a speeding ticket when coming over here," I told an exasperated Kristoff. He had been waiting at the door of the police department, seemingly staring down every car that turned onto the parking lot.

"I think the cops looked through me when I told them you were coming with that client counsel thing." I was still glowing a bit from what happened at the office and I knew that as soon as I came down from this high, I would collapse completely. On the ride here I had felt the panic looming, as it so often did. Luckily I'd always been able to keep it at bay. _Focus on Anna, she needs you._ The thought had helped and still did, but I really needed to take care of this and get out of here.

Kristoff took me into the precinct, where the smell of stale coffee and sugary baked goods hit me in the face. I hadn't eaten anything yet that day and I felt a slight rumble in my stomach. We were standing in a surprisingly tidy front office with a large desk tended by a sulky looking woman. I stepped up to her.

"Excuse me." The woman lazily looked up at me and I shot her my most professional look. "I am here for Anna..." At the exact moment I realised I didn't know what Anna's last name was I made my voice turn upwards to mask the hesitation. The woman behind the desk didn't notice, nor did she seem to care.

"ID," she groaned out. I handed her my identification, hoping Kristoff was too exasperated to notice I wasn't just a law student. I was hoping for him not to know too much about the justice system and it seemed like luck was on my side for the first time that day.

The woman handed back my ID and picked up a phone. "Yeah there's someone at the front desk for you, lieutenant. It's about that Anna girl." She nodded and grunted a few times before putting the phone down and going back to work, seemingly no longer interested in me and Kristoff. Which was fine with me, to be very honest.

Suddenly the realisation of what I was doing hit me. I was standing in a police precinct, somewhere I'd never been before, posing as a criminal lawyer, which I wasn't, whilst the person who called me here thought I was a law student, which I certainly wasn't. I felt my breath speeding up and the first wave of adrenaline shoot through my chest.

A door opened and a man with short brown hair, dress shirt and dress slacks looked at us. "This way, please." I managed to walk confidently towards the door. _Relax, please. You'll be fine. You haven't done anything illegal. Yet._ "I'm lieutenant Masters and I'm handling Anna's case." He held out his hand and I shook it. _Anna needs you. Act up._

"I didn't know lieutenants handled minor offenses these days, lieutenant Masters."

"They do when there's been a hundred of them, miss..." I pretended not to hear the question at the end of the sentence.

"Where is she?"

"Right this way." I followed the lieutenant through a crowded room with people working at desks, escorting handcuffed people through to another room or locking them up in the few barred cells in the corner. The smell of stale coffee started to make me sick. I hated bad coffee.

I thought we were headed to one of the offices in the back, but instead I ended up staring down at the back of Anna's head through bars as we stopped in front of the barred cells in the corner. Kristoff came up behind me and I knew he was most likely about to say something, so I quickly held up my hand to stop him. I turned around and he looked at me questioningly. I shook my head slightly and turned to the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, could we speak alone for a moment?" I looked the man straight in the eye and put on the best professional look I could muster. He seemed a bit confused for a moment, but then gestured behind him to his office. I quickly stepped past him because I noticed Anna turning around out of the corner of my eye and I really didn't want to confront her right then and there. We hadn't exactly left on amicable terms last time.

The lieutenant closed the door and turned to me. I kept standing as to not make myself seem smaller (amazing, the tricks they teach you in law school). I quickly scanned the office. There was a comfortable chair behind a littered desk. He clearly spent a lot of time here. The trashcan was full, which meant he had been here early - usually the trash gets cleared out daily in offices of this scale. The coffee rings on the wood showed that he might even have been here a few times when the cleaners came through, preventing them from cleaning. There were a few pictures on the walls, including some of a family with small children.

"Lieutenant, I understand that Anna has been giving you a lot of... heartburn over the past while." I decided to go with the soft approach and sat down on the seat across from his desk. He sat himself on the edge of the desk, looming over me. Okay, bad choice.

"Yeah she has. This is the second time in three weeks she's been brought in."

"I have been called in very recently, so I do not have the details of her current... predicament."

"Spray painting. This time it was spray painting."

I halted for a moment. That was all? Spray painting? Well I guess it was illegal, yeah, but... I felt relieved. And it gave me back some confidence. "And is this a reason for you to put someone on public display like that?"

The man moved around his desk and sat down in his chair. He rubbed his face and I realised I was getting somewhere. I gave him a moment.

"Okay miss Shields." I blinked. How did he know my name? He observed my face. "When a lawyer enters the premises we enter their names into a system to make sure they're no fakes. Everyone here has heard of the big Holter and Shields law firm, but everyone also knows it's gone corporate a while back. I was hoping you'd introduce yourself to me and explain yourself, but... What are you doing here?"

Fine. Time to fess up. "Like I said, I was called in very recently. In fact, it wasn't even an hour ago. I have met Anna a few days back and Kristoff apparently kept my number for some obscure reason." _I really need to ask him what's up with that._ "He remembered that I did something within law and in his panic he contacted me. The deal is, I just want to help. I think I can help Anna here. And I also think I can prevent you a lot of work by taking her off your hands. I can imagine you want to spend some time with your family as well."

I knew I took a risk with that statement and for a moment I thought it might blow up in my face, but then the man seemed to relax a little bit and leaned back in his chair.

"Listen, I don't think Anna is a bad girl. I really don't. But I've seen this happen a bunch of times. They say they'll straighten up their act, won't get into trouble again. Then they're back a few weeks later, saying the exact same thing. If something doesn't happen soon to really snap her out of it, it might spiral out of control."

"She has a foundation here in the city. She's going to university, she has an apartment and a solid group of friends she can rely on. I don't think she's a high risk for you right now, and I don't think she'll become one very soon. Now, I can't promise that I'll snap her out of it, but I will do what I can. But I do request that you let her go into my custody."

"You're not exactly family. And you just said you only met the girl a few days ago."

"And you just said everyone has heard of my firm and that my name carries quite some weight." _Okay, final assault. All or nothing._ "And if you really want to take a tumble with a Shields over something as minor as a spray-painting charge, I promise you... I tumble very well." I resisted the urge to close my eyes and hit myself on the forehead. Great statement, Elsa. Just great.

"Fine."

"...What? I mean, good. Thank you. I promise I'll do my best to never see you again. I mean, not that I think you're bad company, just..." I smirked and the lieutenant smirked back as he shook my hand.

"Long morning, miss Shields?"

"You could say that, lieutenant Masters."

* * *

The lieutenant asked me and Kristoff to wait out front, which I said we would. I managed to avoid looking at Anna, although her red hair seemed to be screaming at me from the corner of my eye. As I almost dragged Kristoff along I heard the lieutenant talk to Anna, although I didn't hear what they were saying. I really hoped they weren't talking about me, as I didn't want my lie to Anna and Kristoff to come out.

We entered the front office again and I had just started pondering worst case scenario's in case my lie came out, when Kristoff suddenly picked me up into a hug. Quite in the literal sense, as my feet were dangling a little above the floor. I opened my mouth to demand he put me down, but then I realised I didn't really mind a hug right now. Even though it was in the front office in a police department.

When he put me down I smiled a bit shyly at him. He seemed to be outside himself with joy. "You did it! You got her out!"

"Kristoff, relax. It wasn't anything major, so they wouldn't have locked her up for a long time. But yes, I'm glad I could prevent a criminal record and all that."

"Exactly! You saved her!" The blonde young man almost seemed to be bouncing up and down with joy. It made me grin. He looked like a great friend.

The side door opened and lieutenant Masters came through with Anna. She immediately locked her eyes on me and I felt my heart drop to about my knees. I couldn't make out a lot in that split second, because she then turned to give Kristoff a hug. "Thanks for bailing me out!"

"Elsa did that, I was just panicking and freaking out."

Anna grinned at him. "Isn't panicking and freaking out the same thing?"

I looked at Anna's unwashed hair and scrummy outfit. I realised it was the same outfit she'd been wearing the night I met her. I cleared my throat. "My car is outside, I'll drop you two off at home. You look like you could need a shower and some sleep."

"Yes ma'am," Anna replied without looking at me. She stepped past me towards the door, a confused Kristoff in her wake. I looked at lieutenant Masters, who gave me an almost apologetic smile and then a thumbs up. I sighed and waved at him before turning around and following Kristoff's broad shoulders outside.

* * *

When I got to the car Anna was waiting on the other side at the back door. I tried making eye contact with her but she hid behind the car and I started to feel the panic claw at my chest once again. It didn't help that the slightest glimpse of Anna's face or hair made my heart thump just a little faster, either.

I opened the car and Anna immediately got in. I mentally thanked Kristoff for sitting in the front with me as I quickly took my bag from him and turned around to set it next to Anna. She was looking at her lap with... was that a blush? I decided not to ask right now and turned back to start up the car. Kristoff rolled down the window and enjoyed the wind on his face as we drove off.

"So, where's Sven?" I asked Kristoff. Anything to fill the silence in the car. I turned onto the freeway, it was the quickest way to the suburb where they lived.

"He really wanted to come but I told him to go and take the test he had scheduled for today. He already failed it once, this was his last chance."

"Ah okay, so..." I was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two arms from behind me, which then closed in front of me. Kristoff grabbed the steering wheel to stabilise the car because I was failing miserably at keeping it going straight ahead.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Anna's head was right next to mine, her voice shouting directly in my ear. Part of me wanted to tell her to let go because I was driving a car, but the smell of her hair filled my nostrils and suddenly I didn't care whether we crashed. "You totally fooled them, didn't you?!"

"What?"

"You fooled them into thinking you were a real lawyer already! I thought I ought to act like you were just my lawyer, and not hug you there in front of everyone, but you did it!" She was bouncing up and down behind me on the backseat and Kristoff grabbed her shoulder to pull her off of me. The car swayed dangerously but I couldn't stop on the middle of the freeway.

"Jesus Christ Anna, you almost crashed us!"

"Oh shut up, Kristoff, she's fine. She's more than fine, she's amazing!"

_You should tell her. Come on. This lie will come out sooner or later._

Anna pressed herself in between mine and Kristoff's seat and put her arm on mine. _Okay, later._ "Thanks so much, Elsa. I really thought they were going to put me in jail this time."

"Next time they will," I said. I regretted it as I said it, but she should know the truth. "They didn't tell me the stuff you did before this, but the lieutenant did warn me that if this happens again he might be forced to actually bring you to court." Okay, he hadn't technically said it, but I knew it could very well be in store for her.

"Well then you'll just bail me out again."

"Next time it might not be so easy," I replied. I wasn't sure why I was acting this way, but I could certainly feel the panic climbing up my throat again. My mind and heart started racing and I could even feel a trickle of sweat glide down my temple.

"Why are you acting so... uptight?"

"I could really get in big trouble for this." That was true, however not in the way Anna would think. Corporate lawyers don't get involved with criminal law, especially not when they're in quite a tight spot at work already.

The thought made me think about my work situation and I nervously licked my lips. Anna fell quiet and Kristoff stared out the window, apparently not wanting to get in between our conversation. At first I was glad with the silence but then it started pressing down on me. I was glad when I pulled up in front of the apartment building.

Anna got out of the car and opened my door, squatting next to me. "Please Elsa, come up with us?" I looked at her and I wanted nothing more than to be close to her. She looked at my hands and face and worriedly put her hand on my forearm. I was still sitting on the driver's seat, engine running and my hands clenched onto the steering wheel.

"Elsa, are you okay?" I looked at Anna's sincere face and suddenly I couldn't hold it back anymore. I felt the adrenaline surge start in my chest and take over my limbs. I started shaking and hyperventilating heavily, up to the point where I couldn't breathe at all anymore. My ears rung and I couldn't hear Anna talking to me, although I could still see her mouth moving. I had never had a full blown panic attack before.

Anna looked worried but then reached over, turned off the engine and took the keys. Kristoff came over to my side of the car and took my arm, wanting to help me out of the car. I pulled back from him, my skin was tingling and I didn't want him to touch me. He hesitated, but Anna said something to him. I registered everything distantly, like I was watching a movie on mute. I wanted to run away. Kristoff slid his hands underneath my knees and back and picked me up from the car quite easily. I hit him on the chest but he didn't seem to mind that much as he carried me towards the building. I curled my chin to my chest.

_I'm out of a job. I'll lose my house. I'll lose everything. I won't be able to take care of mother anymore. And what about my brother? Oh god, what if Anna finds out. I'll lose her too. Everything is ruined._

We were suddenly in Kristoff and Sven's apartment. I recognised the couch Kristoff set me down on. He sat down a little bit away from me, seemingly unsure what to do now. Anna followed quickly, my car keys and my bag in her hands. She set the things down on the floor and came over to me. I pulled my legs up to my chest and pressed my hands down on my head, shaking heavily.

_Am I dying? What is going on? Why can't I hear, why can't I breathe, why does my skin tingle so much? Am I really dying?_

Anna took my hands and sat down on the floor in front of me, staring at me. I saw her take slow breaths and I tried to mimic her. Quite quickly my hearing seemed to clear up and the worst shaking dissipated, but my head was still filled with a rushing noise.

"Okay Elsa, you're doing great. Just breathe with me. Put your feet down on the floor, yes, just like that. Just on either side of me." I breathed with her for a minute longer and Kristoff brought me a glass of water. I took a sip and then felt tears burning behind my eyes. Here were these two people I had been lying to, one I had even taken advantage of, and they were taking care of me. Like friends.

Anna climbed up onto the couch and pulled my face onto her chest, rocking back and forth a little bit. "Sssh, it's going to be OK. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you're fine. You were having a panic attack." I forced back my tears and tried to pull back from Anna's chest, feeling very uncomfortable, but she just held me there. "Oh you're going to stay there for a while. Just cry, it's fine. Just let it go."

I'd never used those words with that meaning and it would have made me smile if I hadn't still been riding the panic attack. I decided that fine, why not, just let it out. And so I told them.

"I'm not a law student, okay? I'm an actual lawyer. And the lieutenant knew the name of my firm, that's one of the reasons he let you go." I paused, expecting Anna to push me away, but she only responded by stroking my hair. "But this weekend was really weird for me and then I was late for work and then my boss called and this case I've been working on is all fucked up and..." Anna shushed me and I managed to take in a few breaths before continuing. "Even though my boss can't really fire me because he's not even supposed to be my boss I think I might lose my job and then I won't... then everything will fall apart." I realised I had been half yelling and I forced myself to breathe slowly a few times. Anna still wasn't pushing me away, so I decided I might as well let everything out. "And I feel terrible about Friday. I can't believe I took advantage of you like that."

I felt Anna's chest move a bit as she giggled. "Don't worry, you paid for your own drinks."

Now that the panic attack was receding a bit I realised I was lying on Anna's chest and felt a blush creep up my neck. I moved up and Anna let me. I pulled one knee back up to my chest. "That's... not what I meant."

I looked at Kristoff, who was standing next to the couch with one hand under his chin and my glass of water in the other, clearly still worrying about me. Then I looked at Anna, who had just held me as I cried out all my worries at her. _And you've only met her three days ago_.

Anna looked at Kristoff, then back at me. Kristoff smirked slightly, put down the glass on the table and walked to the kitchen. "I'll make us some coffee," he said. "And food."

"You always want food," Anna shouted after him. I felt confused, why were they so relaxed?

I turned my back to the side of the couch and pulled up both my legs in between Anna and myself. I found myself staring at her again, counting the freckles on her face and enjoying the few I could see on her collarbones before her shirt covered them up.

Anna pulled up an eyebrow and moved towards me with a cocky smile on her face. She pushed my knees apart and put her hands on my lowest ribs, letting her elbows hang down to my sides. I was so surprised I forgot to protest and just sat there staring at her with big eyes. She laughed and the sound vibrated through my chest.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked, looking up at me with those beautiful green eyes. I nodded.

"Yeah. At least I can hear again. I'm... not ok yet, but yeah. I'm doing better. I'm glad you're here." I wasn't sure if I was making sense, but Anna seemed to understand.

"Listen here, Elsa. Yeah, it was not cool how you treated me Saturday morning. But to be honest, you never really lied to me. I never asked your age," she shot me a look to silence me, "nor do I need to hear it if you don't want to tell me. It doesn't really matter to me. And well, saying you're a law student when you're a lawyer isn't as bad as like, saying you're studying medicine when you're actually a janitor or something. Because then people might call you when they're in pain and you can't help. But now we called you and you still bailed me out."

I was in utter disbelief. "Just like that? You're not mad at me?"

Anna shrugged. "You just bailed me out of jail, that gets you a lot of wiggle room in my book. Plus, it's not like you've been lying to us for weeks, we'd only really just met you once. And I guess you might've felt a little bit cornered. All of us here, we have stories. But we stick together. And we wouldn't mind having you as a part of our little group here."

She suddenly got a mischievous grin on her face. Putting her arms on either side of me she pushed herself up until our faces were so close I could feel her breath on my cheek. I put a hand on her chest as to hold her off but she just leaned into it, using it to stabilise herself. "And one more thing. I never, ever sleep with someone on the first date." I barely registered her words as my eyes kept flicking from her eyes to her lips. Then she suddenly pressed her lips against mine. It was only for a moment but my head started swimming and my hand just lay limp against her chest, not objecting whatsoever.

The next thing I registered was Anna walking towards the kitchen, then looking over her shoulder. "So maybe you should ask me out on a second one?"


	6. Chapter 6: The cook

**/What's this, you ask? Another chapter so soon? Yes, yes it is. And it's full of fluff. Because I felt like you guys deserved that after reading through my last chapter. Maybe even needed it. ...Hell, maybe I just needed it. Anyway, enjoy!**  
**/Oh and no, I'm not in med school either. But I do know how to make a mean hamburger.**

* * *

**Chapter 6  
**The cook

I realised my legs were still unflatteringly apart and I quickly slammed my knees back together. Did that just happen? Did Anna just forgive me? _Well it's like she said, you did just bail her out of jail._ "Yeah, I guess I did," I mumbled to myself, a smile playing around my lips.

"Sven mentioned you like to talk to yourself," Anna said as she came walking back to the couch with two mugs in her hands. I watched her walk, her hips swaying a little more than usual as she tried to keep her upper body from moving around too much. She handed me one of the mugs, which I carefully took from her, then sat opposite from me on the other end of the couch. The sun from behind her made her red hair look almost radiant.

"I guess it's a thing, yeah." I tried turning it into a joke but I was still feeling a bit off from the kiss Anna had given me earlier and the way she looked coming over to me. And now just sitting there.

However the smell of chocolate suddenly filled my nose and I realised I was holding one of the biggest mugs of hot chocolate I had ever held. "That's... quite some chocolate."

"It helps me relax," Anna said. "I figured you could need some." She blew on her hot chocolate and I blew on mine. It was quiet between us for a little while, but the silence wasn't as uncomfortable as I was afraid it'd be. I did notice that Anna was observing me so I pretended to study the room. I looked at the crisp sunshine coming in through the window above the kitchen counter. It had been a comfortable temperature that morning, but I didn't think that was going to last much longer.

Kristoff came from the kitchen with a bowl of scrambled eggs and bacon. He offered it to me and I looked at him a bit surprised. "Hot chocolate with eggs? Well, this is certainly new."

Anna laughed. "Don't blame him, he doesn't know how to cook anything else but protein."

"I guess it beats chewing steak before midday," I jested. I put down my hot chocolate and took the bowl with a well-meant thankful smile.

Kristoff looked a bit confused. "What's wrong with steak?"

"Seriously?" Anna used the mug to gesture at Kristoff, making both him and me tense up with the promise of hot chocolate flying everywhere. Thankfully it only spilled over the rim slightly. "All you know how to make is eggs, bacon and steak."

"I sometimes make chicken," Kristoff shot back.

"My point exactly," Anna giggled. "Didn't your Pabbie teach you how to make any other foods? Or the family after that?"

My interest piqued involuntarily. "Family after that?" I asked. I had stopped shaking completely and eating something didn't allow me room to breathe too quickly either. I did feel like I needed to stay distracted for a bit longer as to not shoot back into panic mode. How long was this feeling going to linger?

Kristoff sat down in between me and Anna and folded his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I come from several foster families. Orphan and all that."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"I'm not. Pabbie was a great man and I don't remember that much of my biological parents. I know _of_ them, yeah, but... my earliest memories are with my Pabbie." I saw a hint of sadness glide across his face when he thought back to this father figure. "But the family after that was great as well. It's where I met Sven."

"He's an orphan too?" I swallowed. "I don't mean to pry, if you want me to shut up I will of course."

Kristoff waved my words away. "Don't worry about it." He put his hand back behind his head and his chest muscles pushed against the fabric of his shirt. I noticed that Anna was looking at them, which made me flush lightly. "Sven might be an orphan. We're not sure, to be honest. I've offered to go to the foster adoption agency type thing with him to find out a few things, but he didn't want to. Says the past is in the past." I saw Anna slowly mouth 'foster adoption agency type thing' to herself before bringing the mug to her lips again. I caught myself looking at her lips and quickly looked away.

When I fell quiet Kristoff got up. "Does the delinquent want breakfast?"

"Will you be able to whip me up something more than bacon and eggs?"

Kristoff grinned. "I have steak," he said. Anna sighed and shook her head.

Kristoff started rummaging in the kitchen. It was quiet for a bit but I didn't like silence right now. I must say I was quite interested in Anna's delinquent past, but I didn't feel it was appropriate to bring up at this moment. "So Anna, do you cook?"

Anna looked a bit surprised. "Uuuh, not really. I mean, I can whip up a mean salad. And I can cook pasta. The simple stuff, not intricate. And I don't make my own sauce, I just buy it in a jar and stuff. And I make muffins. And cookies. I like baking things." She took a big sip of hot chocolate. "I do miss good food though, no-one here really knows how to cook."

"I could cook for you guys," I offered without thinking.

"Really? You cook?" Anna looked excited. "Like, cook cook? Not cook like Kristoff and me do, but actually cook?"

I chuckled whilst I put down the empty bowl of breakfast. It had done me good, I hadn't realised I was that hungry until I started eating something. I now picked up my mug of hot chocolate and took a big sip. The taste was a bit foreign after the salt of the bacon, but I enjoyed it anyway. Anna had made it.

"Yes, I actually cook."

Anna looked at me for a moment, then put down her empty mug next to the couch. She pulled her legs up to her chest and folded her arms around them. I stared into the brown liquid in my cup and twirled the mug a bit so it swirled around. All of a sudden I felt tears prick at my eyes again.

Suddenly Anna was there, on her knees on the couch in front of me. She didn't lean into me, she just put one hand on my pulled up knees. "You're still not done with that stupid panic attack, are you?" She took the mug from my (again trembling) hands and leaned over to put it on the coffee table, leaning on my knee. I enjoyed the sensation of her being so close but I couldn't stop silent tears running down my face.

I let out an exasperated groan as I rubbed one hand over my forehead. "I don't even know why! How long is this going to last?"

Anna shrugged. "It can last quite a while. They call it 'the fear of fear', where you start getting so afraid you'll have another panic attack you actually get one. At this moment you're just in a heightened state, your adrenal glands pumped you full of adrenaline so it's quite normal to feel a bit weird for a while." I shot her a look that made her laugh out loud. "I'm in med school, remember?"

She wiped the tears from my cheeks and then sat back again, her hand now on my ankle. "But me and Kristoff are here for you. You're quite safe. No-one is getting past that guy."

"Give yourself some credit," Kristoff said from the kitchen.

"Well I won't let them pass me either, no, but with you they won't even bother trying," Anna retorted. I looked at her hand on my ankle. She saw me looking and pulled it back into her lap.

_Put it back,_ I wanted to say. Instead, a few new salty tears rolled down my face and a sob escaped my throat. _She was fine with touching you earlier, she probably just thinks you want some space._ Anna looked at me with a worried but very patient look on her face, like she could just sit there for hours. _Just ask her, you wimp_. "Hold me?" They were the first words I could think up and they sounded pathetic, but Anna just smiled faintly and held her arms out to me. I shifted my seating and put my head on her shoulder. She just held me, no movement, but no hint of awkwardness either. She sat like someone who was planning on sitting like that for a while.

Kristoff came back from the kitchen and set a plate down next to Anna. It was toast with, yes, two fried eggs and cheese. Anna giggled. "Well they're not scrambled at least."

* * *

By the time Kristoff and Anna had finished their breakfast I had felt a lot better. Anna had decided that I was staying with them, and that we were having impromptu movie night that night. Kristoff didn't protest, he was planning on celebrating with Sven that evening anyway when the other boy finished his final exam of that semester.

Me and Anna were now headed to my car, the cold air making the younger girl shiver lightly. I was rummaging through my bag looking for my keys, Anna skipping beside me, hiding them behind her back. "Where the hell did I put my keys?" I said as we reached my car. Anna suddenly dangled them in front of my face and I snatched them from her hand.

We pulled out of the parking space and Anna started giving me directions. On a long straight stretch she looked at me. "So work is riding you down, huh?"

"Yeah, it's not that great at the moment."

"You said your boss wasn't supposed to be your boss... but you might still lose your job." She sighed and shifted to lean against the door instead of her seat. "Sounds like quite a complicated situation."

"Are you majoring in psychology?" I asked with a slight smile around my lips, stopping at a red light and patiently running my thumb across the rubber of the steering wheel. "I'd appreciate it if you'd buckle up, you know."

Anna ignored my comment. "I think you should call in sick tomorrow. Just hang out with us today. Get rid of some of that stress."

_Some of that stress is from being around you, _I thought. But then I reprimanded myself immediately. _No, being around her calms you. It makes you awkward and uncomfortable, yes, but also calm._ I sighed. _What's going on Elsa, this is a girl we're talking about. You're into men. Right?_

Anna had taken my non responsiveness as a sign to shut up. A few minutes later I parked the car on the supermarket parking lot and Anna bounded off to get us a shopping cart. I smiled after her and locked the door. We went inside and Anna looked around herself in slight astonishment.

"So, I'm free to pick anything I want?"

I chuckled. "Well not anything. There is the thing where I have to know how to prepare it."

"Pasta?"

"Yes, I know how to make pasta."

"Yeah but I mean really make make it, not just how I do it."

"I can make several types of pasta from scratch, yeah. However I don't really have time to make the pasta by hand anymore before tonight, I can certainly make a sauce from all fresh ingredients."

"How about Chinese food?"

I blinked at the sudden change of cuisine as we slowly made our way through an aisle filled with soda. Anna grabbed an offensively large bottle of Coca-Cola and put it in the cart, then looked at me expectantly.

"There's a ton of Chinese foods, but yes, I know how to make some." I saw her face and quickly added; "make make it, not just how you do it."

Anna grinned. "I can't really make Chinese food anyway. Boiling rice is usually fine, but after that..."

"I can teach you," I offered. Anna slid her arm through mine and cooed. She actually _cooed_.

"That'd be great!" _Awesome Elsa, already making promises like this._ Anna squeezed my arm. "Stop worrying so much."

I looked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

She giggled and curtsied, almost pulling me off-balance. "I'm sorry milady. I can see when you start worrying, your eyebrows go all..." she made a weird, scrunched up face at me whilst wiggling her index finger in front of her eye. It made me choke back some laughter.

"I'm quite sure I don't look like that." _I've known this girl for only two days, only one if you don't count the one where I was drunk - and she already knows you._ Being around Anna did feel natural, despite the awkwardness and feelings I had for her. I had to admit I didn't know the slightest thing about her (_you don't even know her last name_) but it still felt... right. Maybe it's what happens if you have a panic attack in front of people. It was quite a vulnerable state she had been in. Maybe Anna was just being protective?

"Eyebrow," Anna mumbled angrily. Then her voice came back happy and loud again. "Hamburgers?"

I looked at her surprised. "What?" I recovered quickly. "Yeah, I can make hamburgers. Can't you?"

"Not homemade ones!" Anna started jumping up and down, making my shoulder twist a bit. "Oh oh that's a great idea! I'm sure Sven and Kristoff would love that!"

"Well okay, I can do that. In that case we'll need beef mince, eggs, bacon-"

"-Kristoff already has all of that," Anna said, laughing.

"Well let's just make a trip through the store, I'll point at what we need and when you guys don't already have it I'll buy it." I smiled with a slightly cocked eyebrow.

"Oooh Miss lawyer, all rich and stuff." Anna let go of my arm, making me feel a small pang of sorrow. It disappeared again when Anna grinned at me over her shoulder. "Well then you're paying for the vodka too," she said.

* * *

Anna pulled the brand new mixer from the plastic bag she'd been carrying. Apparently they didn't have a mixer in the student flat, so I had decided to just buy a new one. I wasn't quite ready to bring Anna along to my place. I didn't think she'd be scared off too much by the apartment, but it might remind me too much about the distance between us. I was a well-earning lawyer, Anna was a student without a mixer.

There were several bags of groceries around us and Kristoff eyed us curiously. Anna couldn't be happier as she unwrapped the mixer and pulled the red appliance from the box. "Ooh look Kristoff, it's still shiny! And there's so many things to put into it. We can make stuff!"

"You'll still need to figure out how to make stuff with that though."

"Elsa is going to teach me. And when I actually know how to cook, I won't cook for you ever." She stuck out her tongue at the boy and he scrunched his face at her. I witnessed the scene unfold with my arms crossed, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Anna, if we want the buns done in time for dinner we need to get started." Kristoff looked at me tentatively, but Anna just bounded up and started shoving Kristoff out of the kitchen.

"Yeah Kristoff, leave us! Go and play some of those despicable video games of yours." He shook his head before heading to his room, but I could see the deep affection between the two. It actually made me feel a little jealous.

Anna fished out a large bowl from underneath the counter and started following my instructions attentively, swatting me away every time I offered to help. "I'm learning, Elsa." I ended up sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, watching her struggle with the dough, trying to shape it into the texture I described.

"It should be slightly tacky but smooth. And certainly not contain any more lumps," I giggled. Anna put the lump of dough in front of her and started hitting it with her fists to subdue it. She looked strangely adept at it. "Punch things often, Anna?"

Anna threw me a glance, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead but a smile on her face. "Yeah I'm into martial arts," she said as she landed another punch straight into the dough.

"I can see that," I replied. I was a bit mesmerised by the vigor with which she punched the dough into docility.

"You should come with me some time," Anna said. She seemed satisfied with how the dough looked so she put it back in the bowl. I handed her a cloth, which she put over it before putting it away on top of a shelf. She then looked at her hands covered with flour, before fixing her eyes on me. I raised my hands and slid off the counter.

"Oh no. No, you're not coming near me with those." I could see the mischievousness spreading across Anna's face like ripples on a pond and before I knew it I was running towards the couch, Anna running after me with her hands outstretched, cackling with joy. I tried to get the couch in between us, but Anna just jumped on top of it and blocked my escape routes.

Without warning she jumped off the couch just as I made a move to escape the corner she was backing me into and we collided together. I felt a sharp pain in my knee as we wrapped our arms around each other and made simultaneous efforts to at least fall towards the couch, not the coffee table. We landed on the couch in a tangle of limbs, me underneath Anna. I immediately felt heat rush up my neck and face, a slight tingling in my arms. It must've been from the startle. _Yeah, right._

It was quiet for a long second before I could feel laughter bubbling up in Anna's chest, which pressed up against mine. Heat now rushed high up my face but I was afraid to move, my left knee throbbing with pain. As Anna pushed herself up I noticed one of her hands was on top of one of my breasts, the other one next to my side. As soon as Anna noticed where her hand was she quickly removed it, a slight fluster creeping onto her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said as she got up. Then her gaze moved down to my chest and she clasped a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, a small puff of flour swirling around her face from the sudden motion. I looked down and saw a perfect white handprint on my black dress shirt, right over my left breast. At first I was taken aback, but then the situation dawned on me and I started giggling as well, until me and Anna were laughing together loudly, tears rolling down Anna's face.

Kristoff came out of his room but stopped in his tracks when he saw us. "What the..." We suddenly stopped laughing, like both of us froze in the moment, staring at Kristoff. He glanced at Anna's white, floury hands, then my chest. He pulled up an eyebrow, turned around and moved back into his room. When the door slammed shut Anna and me looked at each other and laughed again.

Anna offered me her hand and pulled me up. "Let's get cleaned up," she grinned. When I put weight on my left knee however, it made me cringe and moan slightly. Anna immediately looked worried. "Did that happen just now? Wait, of course it did, you weren't moaning in pain before. Not that you were moaning at all. Well, you were crying, but..." She took a deep breath. "Sorry, I ramble."

I smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, it's cute."

I thought I saw Anna blush a bit before she gestured me to sit down on the couch. "I'm actually studying osteopathy, so I have some knowledge of muscles and shit."

"Eloquently said," I jested at her. She just shot me a look, then kneeled before me with her hands on my knee.

I almost recoiled when she ran her hand halfway up the top of my thigh. "Can you stretch your leg without pain?" I complied and winced slightly.

"It's not too bad," I said. _It might help if you put your hand up a little higher._

"Okay, how about bending it fully?" I nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine." _What if I said it hurt, where'd you put your hands then?_

Anna seemed completely unaware of my inner dialogue as she pressed on certain parts on and around my knee, testing it for pain. I answered all her questions and when she was satisfied with her examination, she look up gravely. "We'll need to put some ice on it. But you'll live," she said. I feigned utter relief, bringing the back of my hand to my forehead.

"Whatever would I have done without you, doctor?"

Anna let herself fall down onto the cushions next to me, stretching. I couldn't help but notice the sliver of skin appearing between her shirt and jeans, making my heart thud just a bit faster. She looked at me and I wondered if she had read my mind when she smirked slightly. I smirked back but knew that my cheeks were reddening rather quickly. Anna extended her hand and wiped a lock of hair back behind my ear. "You would've probably fallen into quick despair, infection, followed by immediate death," she said. I just sat there, waiting.

_Waiting for what, exactly?_ I wasn't sure. Waiting for Anna to say something? _No you moron, you want her to kiss you again._ Yes, that was true. I wanted to feel her lips against mine again, smell her skin, feel her close to me. _But she's not doing anything._

I realised that was true, seeing as Anna was just sitting there, looking at me, excruciatingly close. _She's waiting for you to make a move._ The thought struck me like lightning and I blinked a few times. I'd never made a move on anyone in my life. That realisation also struck me. All in all I was starting to feel a bit dizzy. She'd only ever dated men, and it always felt natural to let them make the first move. _Maybe because you didn't feel for them what you feel for Anna?_ It was true I had never felt for this girl what I had felt for my previous boyfriends. Another thought dawned on me. _Maybe you couldn't love them because they were men?_ I shook my head slightly. _Wow, that's..._

I was alarmed by the fact that Anna then moved away from me, leaning back slightly and starting to get up. _Oh no oh no you shook your head at her, you moron. Do something. Quick, do something. If you're not going to kiss her, at least say something._

"Date!" I shouted. Anna stopped in her movements and sat there, staring at me, slightly bewildered. _Say more than that._ "I mean, I would like to take you out sometime. You said something about me asking you out on a second date earlier. I'd like to take you out." _You idiot, she said that after she made a joke about having sex with people on the first date._ "Not just as a reason to..." I was cut off by Anna pressing a finger to my lips. I then realised she was holding back laughter as to not hurt my feelings.

"I'd love to go out with you, Elsa."

I let out a breath I didn't realise I had been holding for so long. A happy feeling spread through my chest, a welcome change from the panic earlier that day. "My eyebrow did the thing again, didn't it?"

Anna grinned. "Oh yeah. They were both doing the thing. Heavily."

* * *

**/Okay so here's where the vote system comes in. Do you guys want another chapter with the actual movie night (and more fluff and cute and stuff) or do you want to get on with the story (with the answering of questions and "OH MY GOD DID THAT JUST HAPPEN"?). Because there's a shitload of story to go through... ;) Drop me a review / PM if you wanna have a say!  
/It's freaking 3 AM here now, I should get some sleep.**


	7. Chapter 7: The munchies

**/Broke the 100 follower barrier! ^^ I'm sending you guys all the love in the world.**

* * *

**Chapter 7  
**The munchies

"Wow Elsa, this looks amazing."

"Thank you Sven, but Anna did most of it. I just coached." I pulled my ponytail over my shoulder and ran my hands through it. We were all standing in the kitchen, Sven and Kristoff with a beer in their hands and Anna beaming at the boys like she was showing them her firstborn child rather than the hamburgers we made.

Kristoff had put on a blue jumper which said "AMU" and most of his hair was covered by a black beanie. Sven had just returned from university and was wearing a light purple dress shirt over black jeans. He had wanted to change but Anna had positively dragged both boys into the kitchen for dinner. Kristoff had just shrugged at the other boy, thrusting a beer into his hand.

Kristoff looked at me. "So how does this work? They aren't put together yet."

Anna shot past me and grabbed a bun. "It's like a buffet. You just grab a bun and then add whatever you want." To illustrate she put a slice of cheese on hers, followed by a burger. "We made a whole load of consilents -"

"Condiments," I corrected her.

"- condiments that you can put on as well, and some sauces." Anna hadn't even flinched or looked up. I smiled and leaned backwards against the fridge, so I wouldn't get in the way of the three friends getting their food. Anna finished off her burger with every single condiment we made, causing her plate to be positively buried in all types of vegetables and two types of sauce. She then beamed at me and walked towards the dinner table, quickly followed by the boys and me.

I sat down next to Anna and tried to keep my burger from falling apart. Anna made no such effort and seemed content to just eat whatever she could reach. I looked away from the spectacle next to me and focused myself on Sven. "So, how did your last exam go?"

Sven swallowed the large bite he had in his mouth and smiled at me with a bit of sauce in the corner of his mouth. "I think I did well, I'll probably receive a pass - but tell me more about what happened at the precinct today! I heard you were a rock star!"

Kristoff interjected. "Yeah she was, she came right over... well, when she finally started answering my texts that is." Anna shot him an angry look. I just smiled and was bringing my well-balanced burger up to my mouth when I suddenly felt Anna put her hand on my leg underneath the table. The sudden feeling made me squeeze my burger and a slice of tomato came shooting out and landed right on my black shirt.

"Oh wow, you have aim!" Sven laughed, then suddenly yelped out in pain and brought his hand under the table, apparently rubbing his shin. "What the hell, Anna."

I plucked the tomato from my shirt and put it on my plate, contemplating the stain for a second. It didn't look good, but it was just a shirt. "It's alright." I laughed. "And apparently Anna also has quite a good aim, doesn't she?" I winked at Sven, who eyed me and Anna for a few seconds before making an approving 'hmpf' sound and taking a swig of his beer. This elicited a strong reaction from Anna and before I knew it they were yelling at each other. I was a bit worried and taken aback, but Kristoff touched my hand to draw my attention.

"Don't worry about it, they don't mean a word of it. Beer?"

"No thank you, I think I had enough alcohol on Friday to last me a lifetime." _Plus, we don't want another anxiety attack, do we?_ I had come down quite far since earlier that day but I didn't want to push it. And well, I might actually want to remember this night.

Anna and Sven had stopped yelling at each other and were now eating their hamburgers with so much vigour I was glad they weren't ripping into one another. I had never seen friends act that way and I knew quite a few people who I'd never hear of again if something like that happened. _But then again we had already assessed that I didn't really have a lot of real friends_. I looked across the table, where Kristoff was giving me a blinding grin. _But hopefully that's changing as we speak._

"So Elsa, what's this case that's riding you down so hard?" Kristoff focused on me, probably because the other two at the table didn't seem that talkative anymore. He was managing to eat his burger surprisingly tidy... and fast. "Is it ok if I get seconds by the way?" I nodded, smiling at the boys' enthusiasm. Kristoff jumped up and swiftly put together another burger. I couldn't imagine eating two of those monsters, but then again I was nowhere near his size. All that muscle probably needed quite some sustenance.

_Oh right, he asked me something._

"It's a corporate thing, two companies going head to head. Thing is, I'm morally not really on the right side of the fight at the moment." I heard myself say it, proper as always, and smiled slightly. "Or we could say that my boss is just a huge bag of butts."

Kristoff almost choked on his beer. "Oh my god we have to work on your swearing vocabulary." I glanced sideways at Anna and Sven but they were now locked in a death stare and apparently hadn't heard me.

"I'm just not used to it anymore... being a lawyer has its perks, but also quite a few downsides." I had the decency to blush. I enjoyed being able to tell the truth but it still reminded me of the age gap between me and the other three.

"I'm sure you can think of something better than bag of butts, come on."

I hesitated. "He's a dick?"

"Better, but come on. That's still nothing."

I thought for a moment. I didn't feel like throwing around a lot of profanity, but if Kristoff wanted an insult, he could have one. I put my hands flat on the table, not noticing Sven and Anna now paying attention to our conversation. "My boss is such an asshole, his GP is a proctologist."

It was quiet for a full five seconds with me staring Kristoff in the face, trying to read his reaction and doing a good job at keeping a straight face myself. Then, like on cue, all three of them started laughing almost hysterically, tears almost instantly running down Anna's face. "Oh my god that's one of the most eloquent insults I've ever heard!"

I couldn't help but grin goofily, my mouth drawn up crookedly. "Well at least you two aren't fighting anymore."

"Oh that? That's nothing, you should've seen us on New Year's Eve," Sven laughed. Anna looked at him affectionately, causing me a slight pang of jealousy. I quickly corrected myself. _If you keep this up you'll just wear yourself out. And it's not fair on Anna, she's been nothing but sweet and kind._

"Eyebrow!" Anna poked me in the side and laughed when I recoiled so much I almost fell off my chair.

"Oh my, someone is touchy." Sven shot Kristoff a meaningful look, I just focused on eating my burger without spraying more condiments over myself.

* * *

"Come Elsa, the boys can do the dishes." Anna held her hand out to me still sitting on the chair.

"Yeah go ahead, we're good," Kristoff said as he started stacking plates. "And again, it was amazing food. Thanks for teaching Anna some cooking skills, otherwise we'd all have nutritional deficiencies in a few years."

"You could always buy a jar of vitamins," I shot at him. _He's in med school, he probably knows about that._ The blonde just winked and mentioned his head at Anna. I looked at her.

"Sorry, what are we doing?" I slid my hand into hers and let her pull me out of the chair, very conscious of how she intertwined her fingers in mine.

"Getting you some clean clothes of course," she said as she dragged me towards the front door. I followed willingly, my mouth slightly dry. I hadn't been up to her apartment since I burst out the door on Saturday morning. I was surprisingly keen on seeing her room again though. _No, get those implications out of your head, missy. Take her out on that date first. Oh and sort yourself out as well, not unimportant._

Anna dragged me up the stairs and only let go of my hand to fish her keys out of her pocket. I stood there fiddling with my hair again, trying to keep my eyebrows as neutral as possible. Anna looked over her shoulder and smirked.

"Now you just look silly." She opened the door and stepped through, holding it for me. "Really, now you start worrying about me knowing that you worry?" She didn't wait for an answer and instead started the arduous task of reaching her room without knocking any of her stuff over. And there was quite a lot of it.

The room had the same setup as the boys', but this one seemed to have fewer rooms leading off the narrow hallway. That, and it was almost impossible to see the floor or any other object underneath the layer of clothes, books, paper, writing utensils and other knick knacks that seemed to lay over the room like a coat of snow. I wondered how far gone I had been on Saturday morning that I hadn't noticed any of this.

"Are you coming?" Anna was standing in front of the door to her room, looking at me with raised eyebrows. I was still taking in the scene but now started making my way over to her, careful not to step on anything. I realised it was probably visible that I was slightly taken aback by the state of the apartment so I decided to change the subject.

"Is this a smaller apartment? Compared to the one downstairs I mean?" Anna disappeared into her room, I followed and stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah, I only have one other roommate. She keeps to her room though." _I wonder why, with the state of that lounge._ I scolded myself internally. _Stop being such an old woman._ Maybe it was just because I had always been forced to keep my room extremely tidy, at least if I wanted to hold onto my belongings.

I eyed the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and was remembered of that morning only two days ago. It seemed longer, a lot longer. The rest of Anna's room was messy, but not as messy as the living area. The clearest space in the room must have been her desk, where a laptop was perched upon some papers. One caught my attention and I moved over whilst Anna started rummaging through her closet, her back turned to me.

I pulled one of the papers from underneath the laptop and admired it, my eyebrows slightly raised. It was a drawing of a man's back, only it looked like the skin had been removed so it showed the muscles underneath. She'd only drawn the muscles on one side of the spine though, the other side consisted of just the skeleton. Despite the subject of the drawing I wasn't repulsed or taken aback, instead I admired the skill it must have taken to apply so much detail to the drawing.

"You made this?" I picked up another paper. This one seemed to have less to do with her studies as it portrayed a seemingly very content dog lying on a chair. "This is a Labrador, isn't it?"

Anna took the drawings from my hands and put them back on the desk, face down and with a bright blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, I made them." She then turned back to the closet. "Here, let's pick you a clean shirt."

_Why is she ashamed? They're beautiful drawings. I wish I could draw like that._ "Sure, of course. Yeah." I followed her to the closet and she held up a shirt to me. It was dark green and seemed slightly too large. It had another band logo on it, this time from a band I had heard of - the Dropkick Murphys. I smiled and held out my hands out to take the shirt, but she clutched it to her chest.

"Well you'll need to get rid of those stained clothes first. I'm really fond of this one, don't want to get condo... conti... stuff all over it."

"Condiments, and of course. Where's the bathroom?"

Anna threw the shirt on the bed, laughing. "Why don't you just give the shirt to me, I'll rinse it off. There's still some flour on there anyway." Something in her eyes made me swallow heavily as I started undoing the buttons of the shirt. Anna moved slightly towards me. "Does your knee still hurt by the way?"

"No, it's good. I'm good. We're good." _Smooth criminal you._

"Well that's good to hear," Anna said. She stepped a bit closer to me, making me fumble with a button of my shirt. "Here, let me help." With deft hands she undid my shirt and moved her hands up to slide it off my shoulders whilst I was thanking every god I had ever heard of that I had worn a t-shirt underneath my dress shirt.

I moved my arms back a bit. It was unconscious at first but when I realised it made Anna lean forward to keep hold of my shirt I moved them even further until our faces were so close I could feel her breath on my skin. I was very aware of our height difference, as the top of her head only reached to my nose. It made me tilt my head down to hold on to her gaze.

Her green eyes stared back at me and I thought I saw at least some of my own desire reflected in them. I was not sure what it was but something about this girl made me want to touch her, feel her, run my hands all over her. Run my lips all over her.

My shirt reached my wrists and me and Anna were practically pressed together, held apart only by a thin sliver of air, both of us unsure whether it was OK to close it. We stood like that for an eternal second, Anna's hands moving agonisingly slow to remove the shirt off my arms.

_Ok, fuck this._

As the shirt was about to slide off my wrists I grabbed it with my hands and held it back, the intent not to let it go clear in the slight smile that played around the corner of my mouth. I only caught a glimpse of a grin on Anna's face before our lips pressed together.

I let go of the shirt and it dropped on the floor behind me, completely forgotten. Anna put her hands on the small of my back, pulling me close to her as she angled her head to the left and inhaled deeply and sharply. I brought my left hand to her shoulder and put my right hand in her neck, afraid my knees might give out as my stomach kept making somersaults.

A rushing that had nothing to do with a panic attack filled my ears and I ran my tongue across Anna's lower lip, causing the girl to open her mouth and grasp at the back of my t-shirt. Using my left arm across her upper back to pull her close to me I took a handful of hair and clenched it in my fist as our tongues wrestled together. Anna greedily explored my mouth and I let her, my mind swimming. I completely forgot where I was, but not what I was doing. The smell of Anna's hair and skin filled my nose and I heard myself make a sound that held the middle between a gasp and a moan.

Anna pressed her hips forward and I leaned back but in my enthusiasm I pushed her just a little too hard and we slammed into the closet behind her. I tasted a hint of blood in my mouth and immediately pulled back, my left hand over my mouth. "Oh Anna, I'm so sorry," I said.

_Oh shit, I'm gay aren't I._

"Elsa. Please... please let go of my hair," Anna stammered, one of her eyes clenched shut as my right fist was still pulling on her hair. There was a small wound on her lip where I had bit down and there was a bit of blood welling up from it.

"I'm sorry!" I quickly let go and joined my right hand to my left.

_Shit, shit. I'm really gay. Well. That's..._

Anna rubbed the back of her head, her face so red I could feel the heat on my skin. Or maybe that was just my own blood rushing to the surface. I wasn't sure what to do with myself so I just kept standing there, my hands over my mouth. Anna pretended to check whether the closet was okay, but I could see she was just as flustered as I was.

_Okay, I can deal with this. It makes sense, I guess. I've had boyfriends before, and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't... they weren't... Anna._

Oh right, my shirt. I turned around and picked it up from the floor, then turned back to ask Anna once more where the bathroom was so I could rinse it. I was met by Anna standing in front of me, her hands folded behind her head in a slightly insecure stance. I looked at her a bit surprised, I hadn't seen her like that before.

When Anna spoke it was with quite a hushed voice. "That was kind of amazing."

My heart was still trying to escape my chest by breaking my ribs from the inside. "Your lip..." I brought my hand up to touch her face but made a fist and dropped it back to my side. _Respond to her, Elsa. Come on._ "Yeah, it was."

Anna ignored her lip completely. "So you're OK with this?" She made a faint gesture with her head, indicating the both of us.

"I asked you out on a date before, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but... today was quite a weird day, I want to make sure you're really into... all of this. And that it's not just you still being a bit weird from earlier."

_She's worried that it's me who isn't into her__?_ "Anna." I dropped the shirt once again (I could probably throw that away now) and stepped forward. It was probably the adrenaline that was still rushing through my body that was suddenly giving me this clarity of mind, so I might as well make use of it as long as it was there.

"I have been unsure about a lot of things today." I could see her face drop so I put a finger under her chin to lift her head up. "I was rude to my boss, busted someone out of jail and then had the first panic attack of my life." I swallowed and licked my lips. Anna curiously looked up at me. "The only things I have been sure about all day, or rather this weekend, are my feelings for you."

Anna put a hand on my waist. "Elsa..."

This time it was my turn to put a finger on Anna's lips, careful to avoid the wound.

"Which has been making me incredibly insecure because before I met you, I was quite sure I was straight." I moved my finger aside and cupped Anna's cheek in my hand. "To be very honest I'm quite terrified at the moment... but being around you makes me just a little less scared."

Anna didn't try to speak, instead she just wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder. I pressed my cheek on the top of her head and hugged her shoulders. "Which is really weird because we've practically just met a few days ago." I smiled sadly.

_Well, this is it. If she rejects you know that's it. If she doesn't, well..._ My heart made a little jump and then continued to dance the tango inside my chest. With my lungs.

It was quiet for a moment but it didn't feel awkward as we were standing there, still embracing each other. Anna then squeezed her arms tighter around me, causing me to jump slightly. "I'll be rude to your boss with you, try not to get locked up again and if you ever get another panic attack I promise to sit with you until you ask me to leave. And about those feelings, well..." She pressed her lips to my neck and then giggled when she felt me tense up. "We'll just see what happens and take it from there, ok?"

I closed my eyes and sighed contently. "That sounds fantastic."

Anna let go of me and I reluctantly followed suit. "We'd better hurry up and go downstairs before Kristoff and Sven wonder what's happened and come looking for us." She ran her thumb across my neck and stuck it in her mouth, grinning. "And don't worry about my lip, I've had worse. I usually get punched though, not bitten in the face."

"I'll try not to do it again," I muttered.

"Not even if I ask you to, Munchy?"

* * *

"Well, you took your sweet time." Kristoff and Sven had dragged a mattress from a room and put it in front of the couch and were sitting there, sipping their beers.

"You have no idea," Anna joked. Kristoff's face opened up when he saw Anna's lip and I could see his chest swell with questions but one look from Anna made him hold in his breath, looking from me to her and back. He finally let his breath out in a big sigh and shoved Sven.

"What?" Sven looked at Kristoff a bit annoyed. "You go get them a drink, I'm not getting up." Kristoff just shoved Sven again and Sven tried to brace himself, but it was no use and soon he was sitting next to the mattress instead of on top of it. "Fine! I'll go get the drinks."

Kristoff motioned for us to sit down on the couch like nothing happened. I sat down and Anna quickly got up next to me, taking my arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. When Kristoff teasingly tickled her ankles she pulled her knees up and pressed her back into my side to get away from him. It made the green shirt ride up my side and I quickly pulled it back down. Anna noticed and shot me a mischievous look, but then Sven came back and gave us both a glass of coke.

"There, now can we watch the bloody movie?" He punched Kristoff in the arm but the blonde barely flinched.

"Had we picked one yet?"

Sven looked at Kristoff with a shocked expression on his face. "...You were supposed to pick one up."

"I thought we agreed you'd pick up the movie and I would arrange snacks..."

Sven put his chin on his clenched fist and stared at Kristoff like he might jump and choke him. Anna laughed. "So that means we have a whole load of snacks but no movie? Can't we just download one?"

"Whoa Anna, that's illegal," Sven quickly said whilst glancing at me. I just laughed loudly.

"I'll pretend that didn't just happen. I'm not some paper pusher that cares about a few illegal movies."

Sven threw his hands up in the air. "Sorry! Just making sure. But I don't have anything on my laptop at the moment and the internet is kind of crappy here so streaming might just be a big bucket of frustration."

"Well surely there's other things we can do," Anna said. I already knew the things I'd like to be doing right now, but I kept my mouth shut. The kiss me and Anna shared was still fresh on my mind and even the memory of it made me fluster a bit.

Kristoff perked up. "Well, this just calls for a drinking game, doesn't it?"

"Oh I don't know, I don't feel like getting too drunk tonight." I had already smelled the vodka that was clearly mixed into my coke without even bringing the glass to my lips, which told me the drink was quite potent.

"Don't worry, I have experience with that," Anna jested as she squeezed my thigh. I took advantage of the opportunity to run a nail down her ribs, causing her to jerk away so violently she almost fell off the couch.

"Oh my, someone is touchy," Sven repeated.

Kristoff got out a pack of cards and we spent half an hour playing a drinking game I'd never played before. Luckily you couldn't really be bad at it, it was pure chance so luckily I wasn't drunk off my mind by the time we finished. I had downed my whole drink by then though and I made it quite clear to Sven I only wanted straight coke from then on. My head was swimming slightly and I felt a bit tired, which wasn't that strange after the day I'd had. However it also had another unwanted effect I had foreseen - I started worrying again.

_You'll have to go into work tomorrow._ I didn't want to go back and face Mr. Holter, but I couldn't really leave it at where it was. _Do you really want to go back to how things were though?_ I knew that wasn't a very appealing idea but doubt still tugged on the edge of my mind.

_It's my father's company. And I make good money._

_Well that's it, isn't it? It's your father's company and you're his daughter. You should be the CEO, not working underneath Holter like some lap dog. Plus, the money is even better higher up._

The voice of Mrs. Almstedt came to the front of my mind. Both of them had been so nice, so thankful when I had called them earlier that day. And they were old friends of her father. I had only met the couple once, many years ago when I was only seven years old but I still remembered the cookies Mrs. Almstedt had made. My mother had been worried because the traditional Norwegian cookies had brandy in them, but my father had managed to calm her down.

_That was one of the last times your whole family was together. And happy._ My mind wandered further, to my brother and mother, but at that moment I felt someone gently touch my face. I looked down at Anna, who had put her head in my lap and was looking up at me. How could I not have noticed her putting her head down?

"Is it work? Or something else?" Anna took my hand in hers and hugged it to her chest. Kristoff and Sven were still playing their game and had switched to a bottle of tequila. The smell made my nose prick but at least they seemed too preoccupied to care much about me and Anna.

"Work." I ran my thumb over Anna's hand, still caught up in the old memories washing over me. "And... my family." I wasn't completely sure I wanted to talk about it.

Anna was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. "You don't have to answer, but what about your family? Are they just as complicated as your work?"

I let out a short cynical laugh. "More so. I can quit my job, I can't quit my family. Although I seem to be the only one who thinks so." It was silent a moment longer, with Kristoff and Sven yelling and cheering at their game. Anna looked at the boys, giving me some space but softly running her fingers over my lower arm to let me know she was still there for me.

"My father died," I said quietly. Anna looked back up at me. "It was an accident, he crashed his car. He was a great criminal attorney." I ran my fingers through Anna's hair thoughtfully. I hadn't talked about my family in a long, long time, but it felt liberating in a manner.

"After my father's death my brother and mother kind of lost it. My mom did her best, but between me and my brother... They're both... we're all living quite separate from one another at the moment. I kind of took over the family name and ended up going to law school with this big dream of following in my father's footsteps, but by the time I came of age my father's partner had already turned the firm corporate. I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do so I agreed to take up a regular position in the company to gain some more job experience so I could successfully take over for my father some day." I sighed. "And now I've been holding that position for five years and it doesn't look like my boss, who should be my partner, is planning on letting up."

Anna sucked on her lip for a moment. "Isn't there anything in place for this? A document, or your father's will, putting you at the head of the company?"

I swallowed and curled a lock of Anna's hair around my finger, letting it spring back into place. My gaze flicked to her injured lip and I felt bad for a moment, but she kept looking at me with a sincere look on her face. "There should be. There probably is. However I always expected my boss, who was supposed to be a good friend of my father, to help me out when the time came." I sighed, glancing at Kristoff who got up and moved to his room while Sven put the bottle of tequila aside. "And I haven't had the heart to go through all my dad's belongings yet."

"How long ago did he die?"

"I was nine," I replied softly. Anna looked taken aback. _There you go, loading all of your problems onto her. The first person willing to talk to you and be with you in a long time and you immediately start piling stuff onto her._

"Well that does sound rather complicated." She frowned. "But I think at this moment you should deal with what's right in front of you. Get this big case out of the way and then start thinking about the bigger picture."

"Well this case will be out of the way quite soon apparently. Before the end of this week."

"But will you be happy with the way it turned out? I can see you really care about whatever is going on."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I let go of Anna's hair and gripped the side of the couch, squeezing it exasperatedly.

"Don't you though?" Anna slightly squeezed my wrist. "Is there honestly nothing whatsoever you can do besides doing what your boss says? That sounds a bit off to me."

I looked into Anna's sincere eyes. I opened my mouth to tell her that I indeed didn't have a choice, but then I slowly closed it again.

_Maybe she had a point._ I was allowed to do freelance jobs.

_It's dangerous._ It probably wasn't the best idea to go head to head with Mr. Holter at the moment though. Then again, if I didn't do it now, when?

"I have never been one to make my parents proud. I was just always a bit of a disappointment." I looked down at Anna with a surprised look on my face. She intertwined her fingers with mine and looked down towards our hands. "I still hope to someday make them realise they really do love me and are proud of me. I've been working my head off to make that happen." Anna turned her eyes back to me. "I know I am in no position to speak, as my parents are still both alive - but I think that even if they had died I'd still be working to make them proud."

It seemed like something clicked in my mind. My father always cared a whole lot about his company, but there was something that had always been more important. His family and friends. I pushed myself off of the couch, Anna letting out a surprised yelp as she rolled off the sofa and onto the mattress. "I have to make a phone call," I said forcefully as I walked towards my bag, which was leaning against the table. Sven followed me with his eyes. I had almost forgotten he was there but he must've heard our conversation. Kristoff emerged from his room with a guitar in his hand and looked at me.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I just need to make this call," I said. I unlocked my phone and started dialling the Almstedt's number. "I'll be right back," I said mostly to Anna. The girl was laughing and gave me a thumbs up from the mattress as I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"This is the Almstedt firm," a man said over the phone.

I closed the door and walked a few steps down the hallway before leaning against the wall. "Mr. Almstedt, I presume?" Despite my excitement I was well trained.

"Yes, this is he. Can I help you? It is quite an unusual time." I checked my watch. Ten o'clock in the evening. Whoops.

"I apologise, Mr. Almstedt. This is Miss Shields speaking. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Elsa? No, that's fine, me and my wife were still up."

I felt like slapping myself on the forehead. Of course they were still up, they were probably scrambling to get everything in order before the end of the week. "This might sound very sudden, but..." I tried to gather my thoughts. "I guess I had a moment of clarity."

"Yes?"

"I want to help you. If you'll let me."

"What do you have in mind, Miss Shields?"

"You knew my father."

"Very well so."

"He was a friend of yours."

"Yes, we were quite close. We almost opened a law firm together, but I pushed him to join up with Mr. Holter." He laughed sarcastically. "Didn't that turn out well?"

I hadn't known about any of this, but it only strengthened my resolve. "I'm not planning on letting Mr. Holter run your and my company into the ground. I think that if you and I work together we can come up with a much more agreeable arrangement."

I heard laughter coming from the apartment I had just left. I was waiting for a response, a voice coming from the phone to tell me I just had the greatest idea of a lifetime. Instead it stayed silent. I removed the phone from my ear to check whether my phone died on me, but we still had a connection. "Mr. Almstedt?"

"Can you come over tomorrow?" The sudden response almost made me jump.

"I'll need to swing by work, but yes, after that I can come by."

"I assume you have your father's documents?"

"They're... yes, I have them." I didn't feel like telling this man that I had never moved my father's possessions from the storage it had been put in after his death. "I'll find them."

"You'll find them, or you have them?"

"I'll have them."

"That'll do," Mr. Almstedt said amusedly. He let out a short laugh. "Yes, this'll do very well. Very exciting, Miss Shields."

"I agree, Mr. Almstedt. I agree."

* * *

When I walked back into the apartment I felt like I was floating. A part of me still kept telling me I had just done a terrible thing, but I realised I was also proud of myself. Really proud of myself. I had almost forgotten what that felt like.

Anna flew at me and wrapped her arms tightly around me, pressing her face into my chest. "I have no idea who you just called or what you did, but you look so much happier I don't really care."

"I decided to make my father proud."

Anna looked up at me. "I'm sure he is, Munchy," she said softly. I raised my eyebrows in confusion but then remembered the wound on her lip and the nickname Anna had given her after. I blushed lightly.

"Hey, lovebirds." Kristoff was sitting on a chair next to the mattress, Sven sprawled in front of him. Kristoff had a guitar on his knees. "Come over here, have a drink, have a snack. No work tonight." He winked at me. "Well, no lawyer stuff anyway."

Anna pulled me over to the couch. "Well I'm not a lawyer." She pushed me down on the couch and then sat behind me on the back of the couch.

"Anna, what are you..." I tried turning around to look at the redhead but she resolutely grabbed my shoulders and kept me facing forward. She then undid my hair and ran it through her hands.

"Your hair is beautiful," she said happily. Kristoff was tuning his guitar and Sven was staring at his laptop, his eyes flying back and forth over the screen. Anna pressed her fingers to my hair and started massaging my scalp, nails running over my skin. I shivered, but not from the cold.

Sven turned his laptop towards Kristoff and pointed at the screen. "How about this one?" Kristoff leaned over. "You should know all these chords," Sven continued.

Kristoff looked at the screen for a few moments longer, squinting his eyes. "Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled and carefully tried out the chords a few times. I closed my eyes as Anna's fingers kept digging into my head, sending goose bumps down my neck and shoulders. I slid my arms underneath Anna's knees and hugged her lower legs to my sides.

Anna pulled on my hair until I was looking up at her, resting my head against her abdomen. "Don't fall asleep, Miss lawyer."

Suddenly Kristoff started playing his guitar loudly, causing me to jump slightly. His fingers flew over the steel strings quite adeptly and it only took a few beats before he started singing.

"Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart.

I can't tell where the journey will end... but I know where to start.

They tell me I'm too young to understand. They say I'm caught up in a dream, but life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes... well that's fine by me."

Sven then joined in and they continued together, both smiling with Kristoff tapping his foot on the floor. "So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older... all this time I was finding myself and I... didn't know I was lost."

I felt Anna move behind me, tapping her fingers on my shoulders to the beat of the song. She then chimed in and they finished the chorus with the three of them, me just looking and listening in wonder. The boys looked at Anna and I was wondering why, until she started singing the next part on her own.

"I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands... Hope I get the chance to travel the world, but I don't have any plans."

I was taken aback by her voice. It sounded good, but it wasn't just that. She made the lyrics sound sincere, like she knew exactly what she was singing about. I was almost afraid to move because I didn't want to interrupt her.

"Wish that I could stay forever this young, not afraid to close my eyes! Life's a game made for everyone... and love if the prize." The boys joined back in and they finished the song together, laughing and belting out the chorus as loudly as they could. By the time they'd finished Anna was leaning to the left, shaking with laughter.

"That was amazing." I said it to all three of them, but mostly with Anna in my mind. She squeezed my shoulders and started massaging them, my muscles trembling under her fingers and palms.

"Wow, you're tense." She seemed to be shocked by her own words, because she immediately continued. "Which makes sense. I mean no, it doesn't, you shouldn't feel tense. I just noticed you were but I don't want you to be..."

"Do you sing, Elsa?" Sven asked me, seemingly wanting to save Anna from embarrassing herself too much. I smiled at him.

"I used to play, yes." Kristoff immediately held out the guitar to me but I waved him away. "But it's been a long time ago." _And I don't really want to embarrass myself._ Kristoff shrugged and pulled the guitar back onto his lap. It fell silent for a moment, until Anna bent forward and looked at me upside down.

"Do you have stuff tomorrow?"

"Yes, I have... lawyer stuff." _At the moment it's so complicated I'm not even sure I know what I'm doing anymore._

"Well it's getting a bit late and I feel like you could use a good night of sleep." As soon as Anna mentioned sleep I had to stifle a yawn. She laughed. "See?"

We said goodnight to the boys, who didn't look like they were going to follow suit and turn in soon. We went back upstairs and I was soon presented with an image I had been wanting to see for a while: Anna lying in bed with her hand held out to me. I climbed into bed with her and she immediately pressed her back against my stomach and chest, grabbing my arm and wrapping it around her.

I pressed a kiss against her hair and closed my eyes. "Good night, Anna."

Anna brought my hand to her lips and kissed it before snuggling back into me even further. "Night, Munchy."

* * *

**/You asked for fluff, and I hope I have obliged! There was also one very sweet reader pleading me to put at least a kiss in this chapter, so there you go. I'm really looking forward on continuing on the storyline next chapter, because I can't wait to share it with you guys. 'S gonna be a rollercoaster!  
/By all means keep the reviews coming! I enjoy all of them ****immensely ^^  
/The song the trio sings is Avicii - Wake me Up**


	8. Chapter 8: The storage unit

**/After all that fluff we're diving head first into the story again! I hope you guys enjoy! :)****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
**The storage unit

I peered over the papers spread out in front of me, my head resting in my hands. I massaged my temples with my fingers and once again pulled my laptop closer to read the letter I was writing, addressed to Mr. Holter and the rest of the board. The light of the screen just hurt my eyes however so I closed the laptop and buried my face in my hands. I smelled of ink and paper, whatever paper exactly smelled like. That combined with the old, wooden smell of the office I was sitting in made me feel very nostalgic. It was about the same smell as my father's old study. Amazing, how powerful smells can be.

A sound behind me made me look up. Mrs. Almstedt came into the office, wearing a coat and scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. She was in the business off taking it off when she noticed me. "Oh dear, Elsa! Have you been here all night?"

The middle-aged woman had bags under her eyes, probably not unlike myself. Her hair was black but I knew she dyed it. Her face was slightly round, with high cheekbones and a still perky-looking nose. She usually wore a tailored suit with pencil skirt, but the past couple of days neither of us had cared too much about our formal attire. She was now wearing warm woollen leggings, a knee-length skirt with a floral pattern and a grey wool cardigan over what seemed to be two more layers of clothes. The temperature had dropped drastically over the past week.

"I wanted to finish this hand-out before going home and getting some sleep, but..." I gestured at the laptop and all the papers in front of me. "Turns out I'm not such a swift worker." That wasn't entirely true, I would have been able to get a lot more work done if I hadn't been worrying so much about other things. These other things mainly including Anna.

* * *

Tuesday morning. Six AM. I opened my eyes slowly, a headache in the back of my head thumping against my skull. I was greeted by glow in the dark stars, not unlike a few days earlier. Granted, I felt a lot less hung over, but... not less guilty.

With the last remnants of my panic attack and alcohol out of my system, my stomach was now a big churning mess of guilt. I rubbed my eyes and shot a look at Anna, still vast asleep. I definitely felt something for her, but things had gotten out of hand yesterday. Remembering the massages and other touches made me blush of unease and thinking back to the kiss just made me want to groan and pull on my hair.

_Okay, calm down. Think back to the things you do not regret._ I did not regret hanging out with the three of them, cooking dinner and playing games. I had been pleasantly surprised by Kristoff's guitar skills and the accompanying song the trio had sung together. _With Anna sitting behind you._ I remembered being close with my friends back in university, the two I had that was - hugging, having sleepovers with three people in one bed and braiding each other's hair and all that. It hadn't been uncomfortable then.

_You kind of outgrew those days._ Had I though? I was more or less yanked out of those days when my mother had been admitted when I turned eighteen, only a few months after I had started feeling comfortable at university with friends I had started making there. I had been quite a prodigious student, skipping a few years of high school and mostly hanging out with people older than me. I inherited part of a law firm on the same age it became legal for me to drink. Okay fine, I had never really had a lot of responsibility there - but there was enough of that to be found elsewhere.

Anna shifted next to me, turning around and grabbing my arm. _I really need to take this slower. We need to take this slower. If we ever take it further. You're so much older than her._ I carefully untangled Anna from my arm and got out of bed. I stood there for a few moments, thinking about my last thought. I didn't want things to worsen between Anna and me, and I definitely wanted to see where this... thing between us could go, but the truth was that we had only known each other for a few days. And my life wasn't exactly rainbows and roses at the moment, did I really wanted to drag this happy go-lucky girl into all of that?

To my surprise I didn't feel bad about sleeping with Anna in one bed though. I mean, this wasn't the first time we had slept in Anna's bed together - not that Friday night had been a perfect example of taking it slow. It hadn't even crossed my mind to try something with Anna last night, I just wanted to curl up against someone I trusted and get some sleep. Which I did.

_Okay, things are not completely messed up... but you still have to be careful, Miss Shields._ I gathered up the last of my things and changed back into my own clothes, leaving Anna's shirt folded neatly on her desk. I put my own dress shirt on top of it and wrote a little note. 'If you can get it clean you're welcome to have it'. I looked at the message for a moment and it sounded a bit offensive, so I quickly drew a smiley face underneath the text. There, should be fine.

* * *

Mrs. Almstedt put a steaming mug of coffee down in front of me. I thanked her with a smile as she sat down next to me, pulling the laptop over to her and catching up on the work I had done during the night. I had insisted that Mr. and Mrs. Almstedt went home around midnight, but I had stayed around. The office in town wasn't that big but it was cosy, with a lot of bookshelves and an old but well-cared for kitchen. It had a state of the art coffee maker though, which I had been relishing immensely the past days.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you've been doing great!" She eyed me for a moment, from my simple black jeans to the light blue blouse and all the way up to my unruly hair, caught in a frumpled bun on top of my head. "Aren't you freezing? I'm wearing all these clothes and I'm still cold."

I sighed contently as I savoured my coffee. "I'm okay. I tend not to be too bothered by the cold."

"Are you sure? You might be getting sick." The woman brought the back of her hand to my forehead. "You do feel rather warm." I managed to smile at her caring grey eyes. We had been working together most waking hours for the past three days and I had grown fond of the woman.

She looked back at the papers in front of me. "Maybe you should get a few hours of sleep, the meeting with Mr. Holter and the board is this afternoon. I'll finish up the hand out. You've already done most of the work anyway, I'll just make sure the references check out," she finished with a slight smile. "Plus, my husband will be in soon." She put a hand on my arm. "God is on our side, we will do this."

* * *

"Mr. Holter, I am simply picking up a few things. I am not resigning from the company." I had been psyching myself up on the ride home from Anna's, while I was changing and then on my way over here (even stopping for a very tasty doughnut on the way), but my heart was still thumping in my throat. I was standing in front of my cubicle, Mr. Holter once again blocking my way like he had done the day before.

The man folded his hands behind his back. "Miss Shields, I understand you have taken the rest of the week off for personal reasons."

I, in turn, crossed my arms over my chest. I was wearing the only fully tailored suit I owned, not with a skirt but with trousers. It allowed me to plant my feel slightly apart which made me feel stronger. Plus, the rich black colour clashed fiercely with my hair and the sparkling white blouse underneath the blazer. I looked good, and I knew it. "That's correct, Mr. Holter. Fully within my rights, I might add."

"I'm sure it is, Miss Shields." He looked like he wanted to say more, but just squinted at me angrily. It didn't really make him look more intimidating however. _Kristoff can be intimidating, you can just act like a huffed up little man._

I uncrossed my arms and reached for my bag. "Now if you don't mind, I have somewhere to be."

"Yes you do." Mr. Holter paused for a moment, waiting for my reaction. I just looked at him, the silence around us almost palpable. I knew everyone in the office was listening to our exchange even though there was no-one in sight. "There is a board meeting on Friday on the Almstedt case. I expect you to be there."

I nodded curtly. "That's perfect, actually. I will certainly be there. Be sure to save me a timeslot, I have something to say myself."

"What shall I tell my PA to put on the agenda?" _I'm turning this takeover around, put that on your bloody agenda._

I smiled. "I will make sure you obtain all the needed documents an hour before the meeting so you can read up on what I'm planning on relaying to the board. I wouldn't want to blindside you." I hung my bag on my shoulder and made it clear I was ready to leave, my heart beating quite fast. I knew how to act like I knew exactly what I was doing, but in all honesty I was keeping my knees from trembling.

Mr. Holter gave me a measuring look which I withstood without a lot of difficulty. He then nodded his head. "Very well, I shall see you then."

* * *

I was not a very religious person. Sure, I had received bible studies as part of my education and I had even been baptised - but I wasn't one to put too much trust in God. The last time I had been in a church was for my father's funeral service and I had never returned after that. Churches made me feel small and insecure, like even the walls were judging me and the things I had done during my life. Or hadn't done.

The Almstedts were a different sort and seemed to be quite a religious pair, I thought as I lay down on the sofa in the only other room in the small office that made up Almstedt law firm. It wasn't a big company, with just the middle-aged couple listed as the employees, but it had a good reputation. They weren't renowned enough to land the big criminal cases but they didn't mind, focusing mostly on defending small time crooks or people who had simply lost their way. However they also had a good record in defending actual victims instead of crooks, or helping people sue a company that had wronged them.

I sighed. I had done so much research on the company over the past months, preparing for the takeover, that I even knew how much rent they paid for the office. Back then it was routine, but now it made me feel a bit sick. I fished my phone out of my pocket and saw I had received a text from Anna. _This early?_

"Hey Munchy! I'll be crossing my fingers all day today, just for you. I even set my alarm and will be getting some study done all day so I can keep them crossed"

I smiled, just as a second text came in. "Although I'm still fucking pissed off that you've forbidden me from being there with you."

My fingers flew over the keys of my Blackberry. "You'd probably just get bored or angry. These meetings require a lot of patience and restraint."

"Sounds terrible."

"They are. But I'll come over afterwards so you can either patch my crushed soul back together or celebrate with me."

"I'm all out of duct tape so you'd better nail this thing. But I know you will. You can do this!"

"Thanks! I'll update you as soon as I have news."

I set my phone to wake me up in a few hours and turned onto my side. The truth was that I was still trying to keep Anna as far away from my job as possible. I really needed to work through this case first, I couldn't afford to be focusing on anything else today.

I kicked off my shoes and curled myself up a bit. A minute later I was fast asleep.

* * *

"I'm still not completely sure why we're here," Kristoff said as he rubbed his gloved hands together. "It's Wednesday morning during my break, I should be sleeping. Or training."

"I told you, my father's possessions are stored in here. I need a few things but I'm not exactly sure what the state of... well, everything is." I was really hoping this was a high quality storage unit that kept everything inside stored nice and dry. _It should be, I'm paying enough for it every month._

"Well alright then, open her up." Kristoff eyed me from the side as I fumbled with the lock on the door. My heart was thumping quite fast. I had never been in here before. I wasn't even sure anyone had been in here since my father's possessions had been locked away after he died.

I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed it was indeed a high quality storage unit, but then my breath hitched. I froze in place as my eyes ran over all the items in front of me. Over there was my father's old chair and desk. Large stacks of cardboard boxes, binders, files, furniture... "It looks like they cleared out the entire house after Father's death," I mumbled.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and noticed Kristoff looking down at me. "Are you okay?" I smiled and nodded but looked away. "What exactly do you need?"

I peered into the storage unit and the large stacks of boxes. "My father's documents. His will, contracts, stuff like that." Kristoff walked into the unit and carefully lifted a few boxes from their shelves. He put them on the ground and gave me a crooked smile.

"I'll do the heavy lifting, you check whether the boxes hold anything you need. Maybe I'll get a bit of a workout from this after all."

"Hey Kristoff?" The boy was just grabbing another box and froze mid-lift, looking at me. "Thanks for helping me with this." The boy smiled and put the box next to the others. I walked over and knelt next to them, pulling the lid off of one of them.

"Don't worry about it. I was confused that you called me instead of Anna for a little while, but now I see why," he said as he flexed his muscles. The box I was looking through contained mostly old case files and I put it aside. The next one I opened made my breath hitch. It contained photo albums. I really didn't want to look through those right now so I tried closing it, but in my hurry I just fumbled with the lid and put it on crooked.

Kristoff reached over and closed the box, kneeling on the other side of it whilst I stared down on my hands. "Hey Elsa. If this is too difficult we can get some more people over here, you know." He took the box and put it back on a shelf he just cleared. "There, this shelf means we looked through it. Have to have a system," the boy smiled. I realised he was trying to cheer me up, but so far it wasn't working. Too many memories.

"I just... I don't know," I said. There was now quite a bunch of boxes around me so Kristoff sat down next to me and opened one up. He took a file from it and held it out to me. I shook my head. "That's more case files." Kristoff nodded and closed the box, shoving it aside. This ritual continued for a bit while I tried gathering my thoughts.

"Is it Anna? She's been a bit restless since Monday. Did something happen between you two?"

"You make it sound like we're already this couple that's been dating for years."

"Well no, not really." He seemed to think for a moment. "I know Anna. She is usually quite... careful with who she lets in." He looked at me. "And I got the feeling you're quite tentative as well." He held out a binder to me. I took it from him, not immediately recognising what it was about.

I opened it and looked down on a bunch of newspaper clippings stuck to the pages. It was about the opening of the law firm and had a faded picture of my father and a slimmer Mr. Holter, the latter with a hand on my father's shoulder. They both looked quite happy. The tile read 'Young Shields opens law firm'. I looked at the date. April 25st, 1981. I blinked. That was today. Well, today thirty-three years ago.

Kristoff shifted next to me and I was pulled from my thoughts. "These aren't very important right now, but I'd like to take them with me anyway."

"I'll put them on the 'take-away' pile," Kristoff smiled. He lifted the box over his head and put it behind him.

"I'm just not sure what I want to do about Anna," I said carefully. Kristoff pulled open another few boxes and didn't look at me, but I knew he was listening. "I mean yes, I really care for her. And I can't really stop thinking about her. But I'm... I feel like I'm just taking advantage of her kindness, you know?"

Kristoff laughed and I felt heat rush up my neck. He raised his hands apologetically. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just that Anna felt like she'd taken advantage of you on Monday because you were so... fragile." He closed the box he had been looking through. "More case files," he said and put it on top of the other one. He then looked back at me. "She said you kissed. And from the look of her lip it was quite heated, no?"

I rubbed my face. I couldn't believe I was talking about this, but then again... Kristoff was becoming a friend. And he knew Anna. I just hoped he wouldn't report everything I said back to her, but for some reason I didn't think he would. "Yes, we kissed."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Well I just feel like it's all going a bit fast."

"Then take it slow," he said with a shrug. I looked at him incredulously.

"Just like that?" I asked. Apparently there was something in my voice that caught Kristoff's attention because he turned his head and looked at me with a slight frown on his face.

"Yes of course. Why not? Rushing things is always bad, especially if there's so much other stuff going on." He smirked and seemed to weigh his next words. "I think you need friendship more than sex right now."

"I wasn't even thinking about that!" I said as my cheeks flushed and I brought a hand over my mouth. Kristoff just pulled another box to him and opened it.

"Sure you weren't." He squinted for a moment and picked up a leather-covered book. "I think this is what you were looking for?" he said as he carefully handed it to me. My heart missed a beat and my breath hitched. On the front it said 'Will' in curly golden letters. My hands trembled a little bit as I opened it. The first page stated that this was the will of Maurice Shields and had been written and notarised on... My eyebrows went up.

"What is it?" Kristoff asked.

"This... this will was drawn up two weeks before his death," I said.

"That's a bad thing?"

"Well not necessarily, but... it's a bit weird. Or just a huge coincidence. I thought the will they have on file at the company was older." I started reading through the will as Kristoff moved around the storage unit a bit, looking at some of the things that had belonged to my father. He picked up a guitar case and asked me if he could open it, I just waved my hand at him without taking my eyes off the will.

Kristoff pulled out the guitar with a sigh of admiration. "This is a solid mahogany Martin guitar," he said reverently as he carefully ran his fingers over the neck. He sat down on my father's old chair and started tuning it. "It still sounds amazing," he said softly. Suddenly a string snapped under his fingers. "Well, the strings have to be replaced, but the body still looks brand new."

I finished reading the will as Kristoff was sighting down a crossbow that had belonged to my father. Hunting had been a hobby of his and he had started teaching my brother before he died. I closed the will slowly, my mind racing. There should've been copies of this document everywhere. The will the family notary owned was definitely an outdated version. Had he not known of the updated version? True, this one had been notarised by a different man, but the company must have known about all this. _Oh, if only I had gone through my father's belongings earlier._ I put the will down, my hands shaking.

"Hey Elsa, everything ok? I mean yeah no you wouldn't be completely OK, you just read your father's will and all that." He walked over to me, the Martin once more clutched in his hand. Seeing the instrument brought back memories of my father playing and I felt icy tendrils claw at my throat. _I should have never trusted Holter to carry out my father's will. Our family notary even works for Holter & Shields. I trusted all of them._

"I remember being at a meeting about the will a few weeks after my father's death. The board was there, and of course Holter. I even sat in his lap." I looked up at Kristoff, my hands balled into fists in my lap. "The bastard. He said he'd carry out my father's will. I was nine, I only saw him as this nice young man who was a friend of my father's. I used to call him my uncle." I swallowed. "So this is why he didn't want me going into law. He said I had the air of a doctor or something and that I should choose my own path."

Kristoff grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up from the ground. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

I looked at the boy and felt him recoil slightly. "This company is mine."

* * *

"Elsa." I woke up to someone gently shaking my shoulder. "You've been asleep for a few hours, we need to prepare now." Mr. Almstedt was kneeling next to me. "My wife made you another mug of coffee." He got up and left the room, leaving me a minute to wake up. I sat upright and rubbed my face. I hadn't worn make-up for a few days, knowing I'd just mess it up with all my face-rubbing and sleeping-on-desks. I really needed to get home and prepare for the meeting.

I moved into the office, stretching. I self-consciously quickly lowered my arms as I saw Mr. Almstedt smiling at me. Unlike his wife his hair was brown, and unpainted. Well, maybe Mrs. Almstedt's hair also used to be brown. Who knew. He looked very presentable with his short hair styled into a smooth wave and wearing a light grey suit with a white dress shirt. He even had one of those napkin things stuffed in his front pocket. I never knew what they were called.

The man ran a finger over his moustache and turned his attention back to the things in front of him. There was an open briefcase on the table and he was carefully and thoroughly packing the things I'd need. He looked at me. "My wife finished the documents on the laptop, could you quickly look them over before we send them out to Holter and the rest of your board?"

Thirty minutes later we had all agreed we had prepared as well as we could. The documents were sent out and I put on my coat, fumbling with the buttons. Mrs. Almstedt reached over to help me and I let my hands fall to the side, clenched into fists.

"Elsa dear, calm down. It will be fine. We have God on our side." The comment almost made me sigh. I would much rather believe we had prepared well and that we had the law on our side.

"I don't know if I can do this." I knew I was tired and that it was probably just exhaustion that made my voice tremble. _Yeah that was it._

"Of course you can." Mrs. Almstedt finished buttoning up my coat and put her hands on my shoulders. "You now know what your father wanted. Holter is in the wrong here, not you." She let go of me and put on her own coat. "Just go home, take a shower and get dressed. You'll feel better."

* * *

I checked my phone. I still had a little bit of time left before I had to be at the company for the big meeting. I sat in my living room, trying to keep the cats at bay so I wouldn't get cat hair all over my suit. "Well guys, I might as well get going." I got up to Max meowing and headed to the bathroom to check my appearance one more time. I had put on a little bit of make-up, not too much. I wanted to look professional and I needed people to focus on what I was saying, not a purple mound of eye shadow on my face. I had drawn light lines around my eyes with a black eye pencil and put on a little bit of light blue eye shadow to match the blouse I was wearing underneath the black suit. I managed to cover up the bags under my eyes and had put on some blush as to cover up my even-paler-than-usual skin.

I re-applied my pink lip gloss and nodded at myself in the mirror. There was not a single stray hair sticking out of the bun in my neck. I brought my fingers up to the delicate pearl necklace around my neck and sighed. I just needed to be careful getting over there and I'd be fine.

_They'll care about what you have to say, not just how you look._ "No, but it helps," I mumbled at my reflection.

The drive into town consisted of me drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, almost running red lights and had the highlight of almost running over an old lady on a pedestrian crossing. When I parked in front of the building my heart was pounding in my throat and I was shaking again.

_Come on Elsa, get it together._ My internal scolding didn't help however and I leaned my forehead onto the steering wheel. _Conceal it. If you walk in there like this you'll mess up._ I heard my phone buzz and reached to my bag to grab it.

"Hey Munchy, how you doing? I hope you're not freaking out too much. You're awesome! X Anna"

I started typing a response but instead I hit the 'dial' button on my phone. Anna picked up on the first ring. "Munchy! I caught you before you went in!"

"Yeah, you did." I couldn't keep a tremble out of my voice and I sighed deeply to calm myself down.

"Elsa, you'll do fine." Anna hadn't dropped my embarrassing new nickname since Monday. "Just breathe in deeply. You said some other lawyer people helped you prepare, right? And according to Kristoff you were quite adamant last Wednesday after reading your father's will." I didn't reply and instead focused on not crying. I really didn't want to mess up my make-up. "Elsa? Are you still there?"

"Yeah I'm here, Anna. Thanks. I just... imagine if I win. I don't know if I can run a company."

"Of course you can. Plus, as the boss you get to hire all these people that'll help you. Hire some sexy personal assistant or something. Go on a recruiting trip past universities."

"Can we talk about something else? Just for ten minutes or something?"

"I've chosen my specialisation," Anna said immediately.

"Wait, weren't you studying osteopathy?" I remembered when she had told me, what she had said as she sat me down on the couch. "With the muscles and... shit?" The memory of Anna taking care of my knee brought a slight smile to my face. Good, that meant no tears.

"Yeah that was my final subject before having to choose a specialisation. They make us study each subject before choosing." Anna giggled. "Sorry if I confused you."

I remembered Sven saying something about first going through regular medical training before getting to choose rehabilitation. I shook my head. _Not important right now. _"That's ok. What are you going to choose though?"

"Trauma!"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, working in the emergency room. I loved that cycle, because you never know what you'll get and you're the first person people see when they come into the hospital looking for help... Being the person to tell them they'll be just fine, that's what I wanna do."

"I think you'd be great at that, Anna."

"Haha yeah I'm great at telling people they'll just be fine, aren't I?"

"They make you choose a specialisation this early?"

"What do you mean? I've been in uni for five years already, how much more do you want?"

_Five years?_ "...Anna, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three, why?"

_Holy shit that's only three years younger than me. Holy shit holy shit._

"Munchy? What's going on?"

I couldn't help myself, I laughed out loud and leaned back into my seat, pressing a hand to my mouth. _You stupid, stupid twat._ "I just... I was worried."

"Worried? Why?"

"Our age difference. I thought you were younger. A lot younger."

"Why didn't you just ask?"

"...I don't know." _Yeah, why didn't you just ask? __You twat. Twat, twat twat._

"Wait, you thought I was younger? Why?"

"Well you have glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling for once."

"Those are awesome though."

"I guess they are." I looked at my watch, my worry mostly gone. I needed to get going. "Hey Anna I have to go. Thanks so much for cheering me up, I feel a lot better."

"Any time, Munchy."

"I'll see you tonight, doctor." I hung up the phone and clutched it to my chest for a moment. The flutters inside of it had nothing to do with nerves anymore. Well, a different kind of nerves. _This might work. This might actually work._ I shook my head. _Get through today first. Munchy._

I got out of the car and locked it. I then grabbed my briefcase, took a deep sigh and walked into the building with my chin up. _Let's do this, Mr. Holter._


	9. Chapter 9: The meeting

**/Continuation of the previous chapter. It's a heavy one, so strap yourself in!****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9  
**The meeting

Mr. and Mrs. Almstedt were waiting for me in the lobby of the large office building. Both still dressed impeccably, they noticed me and shot me a reassuring smile.

"You're going to do great, Elsa. But no matter how much it pains us, you know we can't help you in there. It's all up to you - and you're going to do it!" _Yeah, you can't help me in there. You helped me with the legal stuff, but Holter isn't just going to bring that up._ I hadn't told them about my complicated family history, although they probably already knew some of it. They had been tactful not to bring it up the past week, something I was grateful for.

I attempted a smile back, my jaw slightly clenched. I felt better after my conversation with Anna but I wasn't completely free of nerves. "I do wish you guys could go in there with me."

"We'll be waiting in the coffee shop across the street. Once your meeting is finished we'll go in and catch Mr. Holter off guard." Mrs. Almstedt smiled at me again. "But we've been preparing for this for days, Elsa. You'll do just fine. Remember..."

"Yeah yeah, I have God on my side." It came out a lot harsher than I had meant. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it that way. I'm just tired."

"Okay. Well, I guess we'll be going then." Mr. Almstedt nodded at me and his wife put her hand on my arm for a moment. Then they both walked off, their arms intertwined as if they were afraid their world would unhinge if they let go of each other. _It still might if you mess this up Elsa._

I entered the elevator and clenched the handle of my briefcase in my hand. I heard my phone buzz and I took it from a side pocket. _Really, Anna? More messages? We just talked._ However I was kind of disappointed when I saw the text wasn't from Anna, but from the guy at the music store.

"Your guitar is ready, Miss Shields. We replaced the strings and the tuning pegs, but otherwise it was in good condition. It's ready for pick up." I put my phone away. After Kristoff found the Martin guitar last Wednesday I had quickly decided I would give it to him. I didn't play and this way the instrument would still have a good life. And I could enjoy someone playing it. I smiled faintly, thinking back to Kristoff's face when had first held the instrument. I wondered how he'd look when he realised it was his. I would pick it up after the meeting.

_After the meeting. _I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. _See, there's life after this meeting. You can do this. You'll get through this thing and then you're going to see Anna, Kristoff and Sven. It's going to be fine._

* * *

I walked through the same walkway I had just a week ago. That day I had been late, running with binders and loose papers in my arms, trying not to be late to a meeting with my very intimidating boss. Now I was carrying nothing more than a filled briefcase (which I wish I'd brought to the meeting that previous Friday instead of forgetting it in my cubicle) and was on my way to a meeting with someone who would hopefully not be my boss much longer.

I stopped in front of a set of heavy oaken doors and once more looked at my reflection in the doors. I ignored the fast beating of my heart and sent myself a smirk before the doors suddenly swung open. Mr. Holter looked at me with a look on his face I could only describe as toad-like. He seemed puffed up and he had missed a small spot on his jaw when shaving that morning. His eyes were angry and his mouth was a drawn line.

"Elsa, you have made a grave mistake."

"Please call me Miss Shields." I noticed Mr. Holter had taken up the head of the table with his belongings. He probably came in early just so he could do that. I walked past the man in the doorway and put my briefcase on the other head of the table. My mouth was dry and I walked to the side table to pour myself some water, but the canisters were empty.

"I'm afraid my PA was a bit busy the past hour, so there is no tea or coffee yet." Mr. Holter sat down in his big chair with his hands folded under his chin. I looked at him with as neutral an expression as I could muster.

"I'll go ask the front desk. I'm sure there is someone available to bring us something." I calmly walked to the door and headed out to find someone to handle the beverages for the board meeting. As soon as I closed the door behind me I leaned against it for a moment, gathering myself again.

_You can do this. Just relax and do as you've rehearsed. You have prepared well. You can do this._ "Mr. Holter is not a man to roll over quietly, he'll put up a fight." _And then you'll fight back._ "I don't know if I can."

I was interrupted by a tall man in a white suit walking towards me. I straightened myself up and opened my mouth to ask whether I could help him but he just walked past me, looking at me as he did. He brought his finger to his temple as a greeting and turned around, now walking backwards. He wore a dark red scarf that complemented his brown wavy hair and he gave me a sly smirk, making my stomach tingle. He then turned back around and disappeared around a corner.

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped. The young girl next to me jumped as well, taking a step back. "I'm sorry Miss Shields, I didn't mean to startle you."

I looked at the black-haired girl. "Jeanie. No I apologise, I'm just tense. What can I do for you?"

The intern looked up to me. I had seen her around the office a few times but had never really talked to her. I noticed she had grey eyes that matched her suit, but that she wore blue pumps that made everything look a bit off. Maybe she didn't own any more nice shoes.

_Stop, Elsa. You have more important things to think about than the attire of an intern._ Jeanie rubbed her neck with her hand. "I heard about today's meeting. Well, the entire office heard about it. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do. For you, you know." Her eyes shot away for a second. "Or Mr. Holter of course. Anyone on the board."

"Well we could use someone to bring some tea and coffee, actually. Do you know where they keep all that stuff?"

"Yes, I do." The young girl seemed a bit startled and disappointed, but that could just be my imagination.

"Oh and Jeanie? Who was that man?"

"Who?"

"He just walked past us."

"Oh, the man in the white suit?" She shrugged. "No idea." She blinked a few times. "I'll get the tea and coffee then."

A sudden idea struck me. "Jeanie, wait." The girl looked at me expectantly. "I don't really have an assistant or anything." I thought about the best way to phrase my question. "Would you like to help me out during the meeting? Take a few notes, make sure all the board members are happy, all that."

"Yes, of course!" the girl beamed at me. "First, coffee. And tea. I'll make sure they'll want for nothing." She walked off and I waited a few seconds before turning around and walking back into the room.

Half an hour later all the board members had arrived. I didn't recognise any of them, but was prepared for that. I had practised with Mr. Almstedt. 'They all know Mr. Holter, but they've only seen you as a little girl. Remember them you're your father's daughter and make sure they know you're a grown woman now.'

I sat in my chair, politely nodding at everyone who came in through the doors. I noticed they all moved over to Mr. Holter to give him a hand but none of them moved over to me, so I stood up and made it a point to shake everyone's hand before finally moving back to my chair and sipping my coffee until it was time to start. _Okay, that man has just divorced his wife. I shouldn't ask about that. But that guy just got married. Or did he just have a kid? Anyway, he is more likely to be in a positive mood. Okay Elsa, you have this under control._

Jeanie moved through the room with sure and quick steps, handing out coffee and tea and actually making small talk. I saw her giggle with one of the older board members, his hand on her shoulder. I frowned slightly. Did she know him, or...? I memorised the man's face, just in case.

When I heard a clock in the corridor strike three times I put my coffee down and rose from my chair, my knees trembling. I leaned my hands on the oiled hardwood table to keep myself upright. "Mr. Holter, I can't help but notice your PA hasn't arrived yet. Do you have any objections against me starting the meeting?"

"No, Miss Shields. The floor is yours. By all means." The man spread his hands generously with a smile on his face. The unexpected courtesy took me back for a moment, but then I cleared my throat and smiled. Jeanie moved to sit next to me, a tablet in her hands to take notes.

I waited until everyone had taken their seats. Jeanie had spread copies of the same file I had in front of me around so there was one for every seat in the room. "Gentlemen, if I could have your attention." At the moment I spoke I realised they were all already looking at me. _Well, that's redundant. Great start, you twat._ "We are here today to talk about a takeover. The takeover of the law firm Holter and Shields. In just a moment I will introduce you to a discovery I've made that will show you that my claim on this company is genuine and Mr. Holter has illegitimately and intentionally kept me from acting on this claim. After this I hope to open a discussion about the leadership of this company and the implications my discovery has made."

The room was so silent I could hear my stomach churning. Or maybe that was Jeanie, who was sitting next to me with such a shocked look on her face, it was distracting me and several board members. I shot her a quick look and she pointed her eyes back to her tablet.

I cleared my throat and quickly sat back down in my chair before my knees could give out. "Now I know most of you only know me as a young girl sitting on her father's lap during meetings or company dinners. And it is true that for the past five years I have not had much of a meaningful role within the firm." I locked my eyes with every single one of the board members, lingering for a second longer with the man who had just had a child (or gotten married?). "But I am my father's daughter. I am a Shields. And I am the legitimate CEO of this company."

I saw several people frown, some raise their eyebrows in surprise - but none of them scoffed or seemed to dismiss my words. _Good, you have their full and undivided attention._ I fixated my eyes on Mr. Holter's, who wasn't nearly as phased as I hoped he'd be. "If everyone will please turn to page one.

"This page contains an extract taken from my father's will which is on file here at the company. You will find that this version of the will has been attached in full as well." My mouth was arid and I took a quick sip of my coffee. "Now as the board knows, my father was the owner of the company and Mr. Holter his associate. The original name of the law firm, before his death, was Shields and Associates. This information, despite being known to the board, was not disclosed to me."

Jeanie got up to get me a glass of water when she noticed the coffee wasn't helping my dry throat. The head of the board spoke up. "This information wasn't withheld from you, Miss Shields. It was publicly accessible for your viewing."

I held up my hand. "Please mister Andrews, there is more to the story. I know all of this is rather unexpected for all of you, and I apologise for that. All of this was unknown for me as well until this Wednesday morning. Please allow me to explain myself further." I took the water from Jeanie and took a sip. It was certainly better for my throat and the cold liquid seemed to clear my mind up a bit as well.

"If you will return to the document in front of you. The extract says: 'As owner of the company, it is hereby stated that in the event of an untimely demise before the coming of age of a Shields heir, the company will pass on to Mr. Holter'. This information was passed on to the board after my father's accident." I flipped the page over. "On page two we find the same paragraph, however this statement has been taken from my father's revised will which was drawn up and notarised a mere two weeks before his death. This will has been attached in its entirety for your viewing as well, of course."

There was some mumbling around the table as people flipped their pages. I gave them a few seconds to read the evidence in front of them before reading it out loud. "'As owner of the company, it is hereby stated that in the event of an untimely demise before the coming of age of a Shields heir, the company will pass on to Mr. Holter, to hold and tend until said heir has come of age at which point they will take over Shields and Associates law firm.' I came of age the same year I finished my Bachelor of Law, at the age of twenty-one. At this point I was told that Mr. Holter owned the company and I was simply entitled to a job there because my father once founded the company as a partner to Mr. Holter. And I agree that at that point I was not ready to take over the company. However the recent discovery of my father's actual will states that I am indeed the rightful owner of this company and should have taken over as soon as I came of age." I took another sip of water, trying to keep my hand from trembling. "A claim that only became more solid when I earned my master's degree in August last year, and a claim that has been held from the board by Mr. Holter."

I folded my hands and held them in front of my mouth to hide my quick breathing as I looked at the man across from me. One by one, the faces in the room turned away from me and faced him. Mr. Andrews sat back in his chair, the fingers of one of his hands absently stroking his stubble. "Mr. Holter, what do you say to these claims?"

"They are, of course, correct." I blinked a few times. _What? Just like that? No, no way. This can't be. It's too easy._ "However." _There we go. Shit._ "I was unaware of this change in the will. As Miss Shields said, the will was altered a mere two weeks before Mr. Shields' demise. The notary employed at this company had no knowledge of the will changing as Mr. Shields apparently used a different notary to legalise these changes. Therefore we assumed the version of the will we held was the correct one." The man checked his watch. _What's he waiting for?_ "I am of course just as distraught by these developments as the rest of the board, Mr. Andrews. However for the past seventeen years I have led this company to where it is today. We hold three times more employees, handle four times more cases each year and increased our stock value by a stunning three-hundred-sixty percent. While I am of course interested in what Miss Shields has to say, I ask that you will make a decision based on all the information in front of you and not just on a seventeen-year-old will."

Mr. Andrews nodded slowly, looking at his fellow board members before focusing back on me. "Miss Shields, is there anything else you would like to show us?"

Mr. Holter raised his hands. "If I may be so bold to pose a question to Miss Shields." He looked at me. "You say you have a right, a claim to this company. You are, however, not the only Shields heir." My mouth turned dry again.

"Yes, Mr. Holter. This is indeed true. My mother has signed away any and all claim to the company when she was admitted and..."

"She was admitted to a mental health facility, no?"

I swallowed heavily and took a drink from my cup, spilling a little bit of water on the table. My head started swimming a bit and I was afraid I might throw up if I opened my mouth again. _You prepared for this. You knew he would bring this up. Calm down, Elsa._ I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples. "Jeanie, could you please get me an aspirin? I'm afraid I haven't slept well for the past nights." _Okay, good distraction._ Jeanie got up and quickly left the room.

I focused back on the people in front of me. "Yes, my mother was admitted to a mental health facility when I was eighteen."

"For the privacy of the Shields family I will at this point not delve deeper in to what exactly is wrong with your mother."

"I ask you to rephrase, Mr. Holter." I felt myself turning slightly red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment I wasn't sure. "If you wouldn't mind." Several people shifted in their seats.

"Excuse me?"

"There is nothing wrong with my mother. She is not wrong. She is simply getting help that I cannot provide for her back home."

"I apologise, I meant no offense." _Of course you didn't, you..._ I breathed in deeply and let my breath go out my nose. I had known this wasn't going to be easy. I just had to make sure I stayed calm. I felt a pressure behind my eyes and a tightness in my throat and chest that I had started to associate with anxiety and I forced myself to calm down, to be here and now. _You need to get this right._

"That's quite alright, Mr. Holter. I'm sure you didn't."

"So what about your brother?"

I blinked but Mr. Andrews beat me to it. "Mr. Holter, please. There is no need for this."

"Mr. Andrews, I apologise if I am making you uncomfortable, but I am going somewhere with this." The man's phone lit up and he glanced at it as a smile spread across his face. "And it looks like it has just arrived." He tapped a quick response on his phone and folded his hands before him on the table.

I looked at him, confused. "Mr. Holter, what are you talking about?"

The doors to the large office opened and Jeanie came back in, throwing angry looks at Mr. Holter's PA who almost pushed himself past her with two files in his hands. He moved to Mr. Holter, a shine of sweat on his round face and breathing heavily like he had just ran a marathon. "The... files."

Mr. Holter calmly took the documents from him and opened the first one. His eyes flicked over the page as I tried to make out what was on the cover. It was written quite small, but I managed to make out one word by squinting my eyes into small lines. "Corona?" I whispered. Then my eyes widened and I had to put my hands flat on the table to make sure I wouldn't keel over. Jeanie noticed and quickly put down the aspirin in front of me, managing to mask my movement seamlessly by shielding me with her body.

"Miss Shields?" She whispered as she pushed the cup of water closer to my hands. I nodded a thanks and motioned for her to sit down on her own seat.

Mr. Holter waved the file at me. "This is from the Corona Correctional Facility, Miss Shields. Would you care to tell the board, or shall I?"

I clenched my teeth together. _Take a second to gather yourself, Elsa. No-one will mind if you take an extra ten seconds._ I put the aspirin in my mouth and swallowed it with some water. Then I closed my eyes, folded my hands in front of my mouth and then lowered them onto the table, my back straight. The board members couldn't see my trembling knees and I didn't want them to.

"Those are juvenile records, Mr. Holter. They are meant to be sealed."

I could almost see the twinkle of happiness in my boss's eyes as he glanced down at the file again before looking back at me. My hope was that the other board members could see through his act as easily as I could.

"I apologise, Miss Shields, of course. But if you are to take over a company as big and renowned as this one I just want to make sure there are no... reservations about your person."

I realised I wasn't getting anywhere with Mr. Holter so I directed my attention back to the board members. "That file contains the juvenile record of my brother. It contains details to a crime he committed when he was seventeen years of age, sixteen years ago. I fail to see how it connects to me as a person and especially my capability to run this company."

"It connects to you, Miss Shields. Your mother has been admitted and your brother has been in prison for a whole six years on a juvenile charge." He opened the other file. "And it looks like he hasn't exactly been a little angel ever since then." He looked up. "I see he's almost finished serving his most recent jail time. You must be very pleased." He licked his lips. "Doesn't that mean he also holds a claim to the company?"

_Excuse me? My brother?_ "I do not think my brother is suitable to run this company, Mr. Holter."

"But your father's will states that any Shields heir is entitled to take over the company. Technically your brother came of age before you and thus holds a stronger claim than you do."

"My brother was in juvenile detention when he came of age, after which he has been transferred to a different facility to serve the rest of his sentence and has been in and out of jail since then. Yes, I paid for him to work on getting a college degree while he was in there, but that hardly allows him a claim on the company."

"What degree does your brother have?"

"I... I don't know." _Shit, I should've avoided that question. Just say it's not important, don't admit you don't know._

"So you're saying the fact that your brother has been in prison removes his claim of the company?"

"Perhaps not legally, but I would gather that it makes him unsuitable."

"It doesn't say anything about a criminal record removing a claim on the company in your father's will, however." Holter pointed at my hand out in front of him. "I know, I checked. So you are saying that circumstances undid your brother's claim on the company, even though your father's will doesn't say so. But in your case it makes no difference?"

"I do not have a criminal record, Mr. Holter."

"Let's not stub our toes on technicalities here, Miss Shields. In essence it is the same."

"You are comparing something tangible like a criminal record to pure speculation into my fitness to run this company."

_What is happening? He is steamrolling you, Elsa. You need to relax and think. Just think._ I went over Holter's words in my head again and again. What he was saying was ridiculous, but... in essence he was right. I swallowed heavily. Sometimes I really, really hated lawyers. _Okay, let it slide off onto logic then. The board knows that what he is saying is ridiculous as well. Show your trust in the board. Yes, two birds with one stone._

I raised my hands to prevent Holter from countering me once more. "Let's say you have a point, Mr. Holter. I ask you what exactly lessens my claim on this company in the same way it does my brother. After that I think it is up to the board to decide whether it is of the same calibre or not."

"You do not have a criminal record, this is certainly true. But if your immediate family is this... well, damaged, it could reflect on your own mental stability."

It fell silent. I took another measured drink of water and glanced at Mr. Andrews, who was visibly uncomfortable but... waiting. _They're waiting for your response._ "Mr. Holter." I set my cup back on the table. "When my father died, my entire family crumbled." My voice broke slightly and I cleared my throat. _Shit, shit, shit. Keep it together. If you break out in a panic attack now they'll never keep you around. They'll think you belong in a mental health facility yourself._

"My mother started acting differently quickly after my father's death. You know this, seeing how we thought you were a friend of my father and thus stayed quite close to the family." Several people shot a glance at Mr. Holter, aware of the not-so-hidden meaning behind my words. "My brother started acting out, he had been very close to my father and felt the loss immensely. He met some wrong people and in the end did something stupid which led to the files in front of you."

Jeanie got up to get me a new glass of water. I fell quiet until she set it down in front of me, giving myself another moment. Holter just looked at me, seemingly quite content. _Ignore him, Elsa. He's trying to get under your skin._

I couldn't lie to the board, that had never been my intention. And I had partly expected this to happen. That didn't mean I liked talking about it. I knew he was going to bring up my mother, but all this about my brother had taken me by surprise.

I let my mind drift back to Monday night for a second. I had looked up the song Kristoff had played and had listened to it a few times over the past days. The lyrics were meaningful to me, especially for one line. After I drank half my cup of water I gave each and every one of the board members a measured look. "For years whilst growing up I tried carrying the weight of the world. But I only have two hands. My brother was locked up quickly after father's death but I was left with my mother. Luckily there was our housekeeper, who made sure I had all the help I needed and who made sure I was taught everything in order to follow in my father's footsteps someday. I studied hard and quickly left for university while my brother visited in between travelling." _And god knows what else_. "I finished my Bachelor of Law by the time I was twenty-one."

I looked at Mr. Holter. "When I came of age I inherited my father's fortunes and properties according to the will this company had on file, together with the responsibilities that came with it. As you can read in both versions of the will there was a clause that prevented my brother from inheriting any money or possessions after he had been locked up. Sadly that did not include the company, as Mr. Holter has pointed out." I unfolded and refolded my hands, trying not to wring them. "I sold the estate and most of my father's possessions were stored away. After all of that I didn't want to delve into his belongings immediately and I admit that after that I kept postponing looking into that part of my past.

"I thought this company was a safe place, so when Mr. Holter said he had a position for me I didn't think about declining. Ever since then I have been paying for my mother's care and I have been supporting my brother to the best of my ability."

I locked eyes with Mr. Andrews. "I am able to run this company. Mr. Andrews, members of the board. I have been carrying responsibilities since I was nine years old, bringing my own mother to her bed at night more often than not since I was twelve. I have worked here for five years and have an impeccable record. Not only that, but I hold my master's degree. I am sure that with the proper guidance and transition I can make this company into what my father wanted it to be."

I leaned back and folded my trembling hands in my lap. I managed to keep my face stern, looking back and forth between everyone at the table until my head hurt and my eyes stung. _Oh right, blinking. I should blink._ I closed my eyes for a second and drank some more water. _How long has it been quiet? An hour? Ten seconds?_

"Miss Shields. That was very touching." Holter spoke and my eyes flew open. "However. I have been running this company successfully for seventeen years. You have merely worked here for five. Yes, your father founded the company. But he did it together with me. You are his daughter, yes, but you do not have my experience. Put that together with the implications brought forth by your mother and brothers' current situation..." He looked sincerely worried but I knew he was enjoying himself. _How could I have ever trusted this man?_ "I just can't see how turning the company over to you is a good idea."

Mr. Andrews raised his hands and Holter quieted. "Mr. Holter, Miss Shields. You have both had your say. And you have both provided us with documentation supporting your respective cases."

"Yes, I have included documentation on succession rights, information on the notary that legalised the newest version of my father's will, contracts from when the company was founded and more recent ones, documents stating how Mr. Holter changed the name of the company without having the right to do so..."

"I'm sure everything is in order, Miss Shields. I promise that we will cover everything during our review of this matter." Holter closed both files concerning my brother and slid them towards Mr. Andrews. However the man looked at me. "Miss Shields, these are your brother's juvenile records. Looking at the situation, I will assume you speak for the entire Shields family."

"I do."

"Do you agree with this file being opened up?"

"No. It is his juvenile record and has been sealed for this reason. I am not even sure how Mr. Holter got his hands on it in the first place."

Holter raised his hands with an innocent look on his face. "Completely legally, I promise." _How can you legally get your hands on a closed file, that's ridiculous._

Mr. Andrews raised his eyebrows at the man. _He doesn't believe him either. Good. _"I would hope so." He then took the file and slid it across the table to me. "I believe this belongs to you. However your brother's current criminal record has not been sealed so I will hold on to that." _Great, just great._ "Now," he said as he looked at Holter and me, "I believe it is best if the board retreats and discusses this matter thoroughly. It does not concern a small matter." The other board members nodded. "We will inform you of our decision, Miss Shields, Mr. Holter."

"Mr. Andrews?" The man looked at me. "I am currently working on a case, a hostile takeover of another company by this one. It concerns the Almstedt firm."

"I am aware of this case, yes. I believe it was supposed to be the actual reason for this board meeting."

"Yes, I apologise for... hijacking this meeting, but I'm sure you agree that this couldn't wait. As a result, I request that the Almstedt case is put on hold until a decision regarding this matter had been reached. I am heavily involved in this case and would hate to see it influenced by this matter."

"Very well, Miss Shields. Consider the case frozen for now. If that is all?"

As he stood the rest of the board members rose with him. I remained seated and politely nodded at everyone in the room, taking note of Jeanie staying behind under the pretence of cleaning up but shooting me worried glances. Holter lingered behind as well. "That was a good speech, Elsa."

"I told you my name is Miss Shields. And please, you've assaulted me enough for today. I've had quite enough."

"That wasn't assault, Miss Shields. Not by far."

I looked up, shocked. "Is that a threat?" Jeanie had frozen in place with several cups in her hands, eyes fixed on the table in front of her.

"You're a lawyer, Miss Shields. Figure it out." With that, him and his PA left the room. Jeanie unfroze and walked over to me.

"Are you okay?"

I buried my face in my hands, breathing heavily. "Jeanie, please confirm something for me. What's the legal definition of assault?"

_"A__n intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact,"_ she recited like the textbook was right in front of her. I uncovered my face and looked up at her.

"So no. I'm not okay."


	10. Chapter 10: The tanktop

**/Thanks for sticking with me through all of that! And for those of you that were a bit sad about "No Anna", she's back this chapter - with a vengeance!**  
**/I'm still on Tumblr, brooke-shutsano is the name :)****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10  
**The tanktop

I hesitantly knocked on Anna's door. I heard a soft bang and then a muffled voice. "Munchy, is that you?" I nodded, then realised Anna couldn't see me.

"Yes Anna, it's me."

"You weren't supposed to be here for another hour!"

I waited for a few seconds but I didn't hear any sound coming from inside. "I'm sorry Anna. Now please open the door?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I looked up and down the hallway. I knew that Mr. Holter wasn't suddenly going to jump out of nowhere and attack me with a broom handle, but ever since the meeting I'd been nervous. Jeanie had insisted on coming with me to keep me safe, but I'd told her to go home as I called the Almstedts to let them know their meeting with Holter was cancelled. _But she heard the man threaten you. She might be in danger as well._ I felt my throat tighten and I lunged for my bag to get my phone, but dropped it instead.

Suddenly the door opened. "Surprise!" Anna yelled. She then looked down at me as I tried shoving my belongings back into my briefcase with one hand while trying to dial Jeanie's number with my other one. "Uhm. You ok?"

I looked up and was taken aback. Anna was wearing an apron over dark green coloured jeans and a black tank top. The apron was smeared with almost all imaginable colours, mostly red. It also covered her bare forearms and there were some smudges on her face. I immediately realised I smelled food. Burning food. "Anna, something's burning."

"What? Oh shit!" She ran back inside, leaving the door open for me. I heard my phone make a faint noise and I quickly pressed it to my ear whilst standing in the doorway, pulling the guitar case I brought with me into the apartment.

"Jeanie? Oh, good I reached you. Good thing we exchanged numbers too." I threw a glance at Anna, who was mostly busy taking a pan which was emitting black smoke off of the stove.

"Miss Shields? What is it? Is everything OK?"

I smiled. "Yes, I am OK. I just wanted to warn you. If it was indeed a legitimate threat Holter made... he knows you heard it too. He might be coming after you as well."

"I'm sure Mr. Holter won't be doing anything rash immediately, not so close after the meeting. Yes, it was scary, but on my way home I realised it would be stupid to suddenly come after you now. And me as well."

I leaned against the doorsill. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course, Miss Shields."

"Please, call me Elsa."

"Thank you, Miss... Elsa. I enjoyed playing PA today."

I grinned. "I enjoyed having you. However with your education you're meant for greater things than being my PA."

"I wouldn't mind. Anyway, I have to go now - talk to you later, Elsa! And be careful yourself."

"I will." I looked up and saw that Anna was now flat out staring at me, the pan forgotten in her hands. I was a bit confused. "Talk to you later, Jeanie."

"I didn't mean that literally, you know." Anna looked at me with a slightly hurt expression on her face.

"What?"

"That you should get a sexy PA."

My eyes widened. "Oh god no, Anna. That wasn't it." I pressed my hand with the phone in it against my forehead. "She's an intern at the company. She played my PA today because I didn't have one." I swallowed, the meeting coming back to me. Then I looked at Anna again and fully realised what she was doing. Or, trying to do. "You're cooking."

Anna looked down at the pan and quickly put it back on the stove. "I wanted to surprise you. To celebrate, you know." Her voice was slightly small and I immediately felt bad. Better yet, I felt terrible.

"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I set the guitar against the wall, walked forward and dropped my briefcase on the dinner table. I was still wearing my suit and had just prepared for the cold outside by wrapping a light blue scarf around my neck and face. "The meeting was just very difficult and I..." _Stop talking about yourself. Now. Like, right now._ "I really appreciate that you tried to cook."

"Tried to cook?" Anna put her hands in her sides but they were still covered by oven mitts so the effect was kind of ruined. Her face still looked pained enough to not make me smile though.

"That you cooked. I meant that I appreciate that you cooked." This time I didn't resist the urge to hit myself in the face, I slapped the palm of my hand to my forehead. Anna tilted her head.

"Well I just... I wanted to surprise you. But then you were here early, and well..."

Suddenly I saw flames erupt behind the redhead. " Anna, you didn't turn the stove off!" I rushed forward and pushed her out of the way. She stumbled to the side as I tried to put the fire out by slamming the lid on the pan, but hit the rim of the pan in the process and felt a sharp pain run up my hand. Anna reached in front of my stomach and turned the stove off, then grabbed the pan and threw it in the sink, turning the water on. "Anna careful! Step back!" I grabbed Anna's shirt and pulled her back, expecting a loud snapping sound at any second. When it didn't come however, I blew out the breath I was holding in and looked at Anna.

"What was that?" Anna looked at me incredulously.

"I just... I never trust it when something really hot suddenly gets really cold and vice versa. You know. It might explode." I was still breathing a little fast, the water in the sink running.

"So... first you push me out of the way of a fire, and then you pull me away from an impending explosion."

"That's... not quite... It wasn't..." I saw a smirk glide up Anna's face and I threw my hands up, defeated. "Okay fine, I totally just saved your life. Is that what you were going to say?" I was reminded of the burn on my hand when it stung hotly, making my wrist tingle. Anna saw me cringe and grabbed my wrist, dragging me to the sink.

"You need to cool that. Hold it under the water while I get a burn patch," she said before she dashed off out the door, giving the guitar case a curious glance. Probably going down to the other apartment. I hoped she wouldn't ruin the surprise. I adjusted the water so it wasn't flowing quite so hard and then put my hand under, sighing from relief. It wasn't that big a burn and I'd be completely fine, but I was OK with Anna taking care of me for a bit.

_That's all she's been doing lately._ "She made it clear she doesn't mind." _That doesn't mean you can keep taking advantage of her like that._ "Enough of that. Everyone is talking about taking advantage of everyone."

I heard footsteps in the hallway and noticed Anna had left the door open. A slight fear crept up my neck but it soon disappeared when Sven stuck his head into the doorway. "Anna said you burned yourself saving her life," he said curiously. "Which probably just means you saved her from a candle tipping over or something, but I thought I'd check anyway."

"I thought she was getting a burn patch or something?"

Sven held up a white square package. "Got it right here," he smiled. "I don't really like other people using my stuff." I smirked slightly. That'd be interesting when he became a doctor. He sat down at the table, putting the patch, a clean towel and some other stuff down on it. "Come over here, I'll check you out."

"Aren't I supposed to cool with water for ten minutes or something?" Sven raised his eyebrows and I quickly turned the tap off. "Sorry, I'm coming." I walked over to the table and sat down next to Sven, who put my hand on the table palm up. The burn ran down the side of my hand and a bit up my little finger.

"How'd you manage this?"

I made a dramatic gesture with my free hand. "I saved Anna's life, didn't she tell you?" I put my elbow on the table and put my chin in my hand. "I burned it slamming the lid on a burning pan she left on the stove."

"I thought I smelled something burning," he said seriously.

"Besides my flesh?"

"Stop being so dramatic, it's nothing." He dried my hand with the towel and cleaned the skin surrounding the burn with an antiseptic. The skin was quite red and sensitive and there was already a slight blister forming. Okay, maybe it was slightly worse than I had initially thought. He then took a very moist green piece of gauze from the square packet and carefully placed it on the burn. It smelt strongly of mint.

"What's that?"

"Just a burn patch," Sven said slowly, focusing on his work. He carefully rubbed the green gauze onto the wound, making sure it stuck to all the burned skin. He then put a piece of white, clean and dry gauze on top of it and taped it in place. "There. Just leave that on for the rest of the day and night and you'll be fine."

"What am I supposed to do, sleep with a glove on?"

Sven threw me a glance. "The past week changed you. You're not usually this sarcastic. Or mean." He saw my face fall. "Don't get me wrong, I approve of you being a bit more forward. I'm just a bit surprised is all."

He got up and gathered some wrappings, throwing them in the bin. I kept seated at the table. _Was it OK to ask these people for help? I can't exactly go to the police, Holter hasn't straight up assaulted me... It was just a threat. An empty threat. Right?_ "Elsa? I'm serious, are you OK? What happened today?"

_And what if the threat wasn't empty? What if he might try to hurt you? Then anyone who knows about it might be in danger. But if you don't tell them and Holter finds out they're your friends they might still be in danger... Maybe even more because they don't know they might be in danger. Nice, Elsa, like you needed more complications in your life right now._ I sighed. "I need to talk to you. All three of you. Do you mind grabbing that guitar and going downstairs?"

Sven waited for me at the door as I grabbed my briefcase. "Sure, this place smells anyway."

* * *

When we entered the apartment Sven motioned he'd put the guitar in his own room for now. I nodded at him. I wanted the gift to be a surprise, a happy thing - and I didn't want Kristoff to be distracted whilst I told them this. Anna bounced over to me and carefully grabbed my hand. "Damn, you okay?" I carefully took my hand back, giving her a smile.

"I'm fine. Could you sit down or something? I need to talk to you."

"Of course! Do you want to go back upstairs?"

_Wait, what? Oh._ "Oh no it's not... about us. I need to talk all three of you." _Does she look disappointed? Nah._

Kristoff was in his room and Sven quickly dragged him out. "What the fuck Sven, let go of my hair!"

"I told you to come quickly, Toffy. You didn't."

"Don't call me that! And I was in a raid, you just made it look like I ragequit the game." Sven hit him on the side of the head with the flat of his hand.

"Elsa needs to talk to us, you moron. It's serious." I witnessed the exchange between the two friends as Anna moved to sit on the couch. The two boys sat down, both on a different side of her, squeezing her in the middle. Anna pushed against Kristoff's elbow.

"Move a bit, you lug! You two take up all space on the couch!"

Kristoff made a sultry face. "Well I can't help it, these guns need space."

I breathed in deeply and carefully sat down on the coffee table in front of the trio. I didn't really want to worry these people, but I needed to get this off my chest. "Guys." Kristoff poked Anna in the side and she yelped, giving him a hit on his chest with her fist. He flinched.

"No fair, Anna! We agreed, no martial arts in this apartment."

"Guys!" They fell silent and looked at me. "There is something I need to tell you."

Anna leaned forward with a worried look on her face. "Didn't the meeting go well? You didn't get the company?" I couldn't help myself, I let out a cynical laugh.

"The board hasn't decided yet, these things tend to take some time. A few days, a week probably." I sighed. "The meeting was a train wreck." _Well that's not completely true, the board seemed to oppose Holter quite a bit._ "Well, not really a train wreck. But I got blindsided by my boss..." I shook my head to get the image of Holter's face out of my head. "I have no idea what's wrong with him, but I am getting the feeling there's a lot more at stake here than just the company."

"Like what?" Kristoff asked. He had settled back in his spot, his arm on the back of the couch behind Anna. They were all looking at me.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know," I said as I ran my hands over my hair, wincing a bit when my burn started stinging. Anna leaned forward some more but I quickly shook my head at her. "I'm fine. It's just that..." I sighed. I think I already knew how they were going to react. Sven would be shocked, Anna would hurry to my side and grab my hands, Kristoff would jump up and run to the door to punch the first person in sight...

"At the end of the meeting my boss, he... he threatened me." I held my breath, expecting a big reaction, but instead no-one moved.

"To fire you, you mean? I thought he couldn't do that?"

Ah. "It was quite a bit more intense than that, Anna. He threatened to physically harm me. He used the word assault."

Anna sprung up from the couch as Kristoff and Sven kept looking at me incredulously. "Where's that bastard?! I'll punch him in the face, I'll kick his nuts up into his throat..." Kristoff reached up and pulled Anna back onto the couch with a sharp jerk.

"Sit down, miss magma. Let's hear Elsa out." He hadn't taken his eyes off me. "What exactly did he say?"

I painted the picture for them as well as I could remember. Anna just sprung up again and started pacing around the apartment, flinging more nasty words around. _Well, I needed to expand my vocabulary anyway._ Kristoff rubbed his face and Sven stared at some point behind me, frowning and biting his lip.

"Why can't you go to the cops with this?" Sven asked eventually. Anna settled down and moved over to us.

"I don't have any proof. If I accuse my boss of anything at this point, the board will just think I am trying to discredit him or something. I will not only have to say goodbye to my claim on the company, but probably my job as well." Anna sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder.

"So that's what you meant when you told that woman on the phone to be careful. I'm sorry for being rude to you."

I pressed my cheek to her hair for a moment. "That's okay, I don't blame you. Plus, you weren't exactly rude."

Sven wasn't done yet. "Okay, so why don't you quit?"

"It's my inheritance, Sven. I can't just quit. Plus, I need to take care of my mom and brother." _Okay screw it, you might as well tell them._ "My mom needs around the clock care so I'm paying for her to be in quite a high-end facility. My brother has been in and out of prison for the past ten years after being locked up for six years when he was younger..." I shook my head whilst Anna put her hand on my lower arm for a moment.

"It's not really a great time for you to be unemployed then."

"Not really. My brother is being released in a month, which means he'll probably show up at my doorstep a month and a day from now."

Kristoff sighed and put his hands on his knees, leaning forward. "Okay, so how are we going to do this?" I looked at him curiously. "I mean are you going to move in with us, or are we moving in with you?" He frowned. "Wait, where do you even live?"

"You... you'd do that?"

Kristoff laughed shortly. "Of course."

Anna poked my leg. "Like I said, we all have stories, but we stick together. And you're now a part of our little group here."

I looked at Anna, brushing her hair with my cheek. "This isn't really a story. Plus, it might just be an empty threat."

"Or it might be an actual threat." Anna chuckled. "I'll be your food taster from now on, okay?"

"That's better than being her cook," Sven said as he waved his hand in front of his face like he smelled something terrible. Anna kicked him in the shin and he doubled over, pressing both hands to his leg. "Damnit Anna, that was still sore from Monday!"

Anna looked at the clock. "Wait, let me make a call." I looked at her. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. And grab your coat, we're going out."

I checked the time as well. Five thirty. My stomach suddenly made a noise and I realised I was starving. Maybe going out wasn't such a bad idea. I looked at the boys. "Do you guys want to come?" Sven opened his mouth, already nodding, but Kristoff put his hand over the other boy's mouth.

"We're good. We'll order pizza." Sven pulled at the blonde's arm but Kristoff just squeezed his cheeks. "Plus, I have a game to finish." He softly flung Sven's head aside, who rubbed his cheeks and got up. I folded my hands in my lap, laughing lightly as Sven stomped off to his room, mumbling something about 'domestic violence' as he pretended (or not) to have a slight limp. Kristoff followed him. "That's nothing to joke about!" he shouted as he disappeared into his own room.

"Okay, that's great! We'll meet you there! Yeah, we'll leave now. Yep, immediately. Thanks again!" Anna hung up her phone and grabbed my arm. "You're here by car, right?" she asked as she put on a sweatshirt. It was huge and must be Kristoff's. I nodded.

"Why, Anna? What's..."

"No time to talk! Have to go!" She dragged me towards the door, grabbing her coat on the way.

"Who did you call?"

"No time to talk! Have to go!" I had half a heart to stop and yank my arm loose, telling the girl I wasn't in the mood for this right now - but then I looked at the side of Anna's face, her bouncy red hair and her freckles that trailed across the bridge of her nose... and her green eyes, that were filled with fire.

"Will you at least let me walk down the stairs on my own before we both break our necks?"

* * *

"Here we are!" Anna pointed at a warehouse that was hugging the road. "You can park over there, almost no-one comes here."

"I wonder why," I muttered. I parked close to the entrance and got out of the car. I hadn't enjoyed the last ten minutes of the ride, as I hadn't been able to shake the feeling we kept driving further and further away from civilization. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing here?"

Anna waited for me to lock the car. I walked up alongside her and jokingly scratched at some dried tomato sauce on her arm. "You were trying to make pasta, weren't you? I thought that was something you said you could do?"

"Well, I wasn't going to put my usual terrible cooking in front of you. I looked up a recipe on the internet."

"Anna, I've only given you one rudimentary cooking lesson!" Anna didn't look at me but she took my arm, looking over her shoulder. I followed her gaze and noticed two people walking on the street behind us. "Not everyone is out to kill me, Anna."

"You can't be too careful." We reached the door and Anna opened it, gesturing me inside.

"I think telling you to be less careful might get you killed in other aspects of life, so I'll accept it for now," I laughed. I looked around as we stepped inside but I didn't see much, my eyes adjusting to the darkness after the bright light we had stepped out of. "Anna, where are we?"

A voice I didn't recognise suddenly spoke up from in front of me. "This had better be good, Anna." My eyes were adjusting and I saw a short woman standing in front of me. Her slight accent gave her away as being from quite far East. Anna just walked past me and bowed slightly. She _bowed_.

"How do you see anything in here, Mulan? Turn on the bloody lights!"

"That's sabum to you, Anna. And I can't keep the lights on all the time, the electricity bill would end me."

"Don't be uptight, Mulan. It's not class time."

"Martial arts is a way of life, not something you do once a week."

My eyes had adjusted well enough for me to make out the woman who was looking angrily at Anna, her arms folded in front of her chest. She had short hair, almost boyish. If she hadn't spoken and I hadn't seen her chest I might've even confused her for one. Like Anna she was wearing a tank top, but unlike Anna she wasn't wearing anything against the cold here in the warehouse. Her light grey sweatpants looked a tad too big for her, but if she did martial arts she probably needed the extra room it gave her.

"Fine, sabum. This is my... friend, Elsa." I heard Anna's hesitation. _Had she intended to call me her girlfriend? Nah, no way._

I stepped forward and held out my hand, smiling my best professional smile. "Hello, Mulan. Sabum. I'm sorry, what do I call you?"

The woman grabbed my hand and I had to do my best not to flinch at how hard she squeezed it. She let go and actually gave me half a smile. "You can call me Mulan for now. If I am going to teach you martial arts you'll have to start calling me sabum though."

"Teach me... martial arts?" I looked over at Anna. "That's why you brought me out here?"

Anna looked confused. "Of course! Someone threatened to assault you, you should learn how to defend yourself." I was amazed at the younger girl's logic. She hadn't even thought to ask me. It just made sense to her. If you're under threat, you learn how to defend yourself. _Well it's not that farfetched, really._

I looked back at Mulan. "I'm sorry Anna kept you here for this. I didn't mean to impose on your personal time."

Anna laughed as she walked further into the huge space. "Mulan doesn't have personal time. She lives here."

"That doesn't mean I don't have personal time, sun bae nim." I saw Anna flinch and turn back before giving a respectful bow to this woman who had just called her... something.

"I apologise, sabum. That was disrespectful." She then turned around and ran off into the dark. I wanted to call after her but Mulan put her hand on my arm.

"She's probably just off to punch one of our bags." She smiled affectionately, then looked at me. "Anna clearly cares about you." She started walking and I walked alongside her.

"She has an interesting way of showing it, but I believe she might."

"She can be a bit crude, yes. But she means well."

I looked to the side for a moment, studying Mulan. "How long have you known her?" I heard a muffled thud from the distance. Must be Anna punching something.

"She has been training with me for five years now. Ever since she... moved away from home." I frowned. I had never heard Anna talking about her home. She had just said her parents weren't proud of her. I wondered why, the girl was obviously doing well for herself, studying medicine and being into sports.

I looked at Mulan, frowning. "Sorry?"

"I asked what exactly has Anna so worried about you. She sounded very agitated on the phone and she's now wearing herself out on one of the bags."

"It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I have received a threat against my person that may or may not be empty."

Mulan frowned slightly, letting my words sink in. "Well despite Anna's hopes I can't just teach you how to fight of an attacker in just a few hours. But I can certainly teach you a few beginner things."

"I don't know. Martial arts isn't really my thing." I could now see an area in the middle of the room, cornered with four chairs but without ropes. There were thin mats on the floor however. Around the area were more mats positioned with some room in between them.

"Martial arts is everyone's thing." I must've looked sceptical, because Mulan stopped walking and faced me completely. "Knowing martial arts isn't just punching and kicking people who annoy you. It's carrying yourself with an air of..." She frowned. "It makes people think twice about messing with you by just looking at you."

"Like you, you mean?" I smiled. "Your English is very good by the way."

"I have been in this country for almost sixteen years now, I'd hope so." I was worried I might've insulted the woman for a moment, but she smiled reassuringly. "But thank you." She started walking again, heading towards the sounds coming from further in the large space. We had been walking for a bit already, the warehouse must consist of just one room - which, judging from the exterior I'd seen, meant it was almost the size of a soccer field.

"But yes, perhaps you could say it's like me. However I have been practising martial arts almost my entire life, starting when I was three in my father's dojang and then continuing when I enlisted at the age of fifteen."

"Fifteen? You're kidding."

"I'm afraid not. In my home country it's considered an honour to serve. My parents were so happy when I was accepted into the army... On my first deployment I fled the country. I haven't been back since."

"I'm sorry." I meant it. I couldn't say my family was easy to deal with, but at least I still had them. "I didn't mean to pry."

The woman looked at me with raised eyebrows. "You didn't, I told that because I wanted to. I don't mind talking about it. Your past is something to be proud of or to learn from. If you hide it it can only hurt you. I'm proud of most of my past and I am still learning from the rest."

I wasn't sure how to say it, but this woman felt... wise. She couldn't be that old, perhaps thirty-five to forty, but she had already been through a lot.

We passed some scattered square cushions on the ground. I threw them a glance. Maybe they used them for target practice? There were handles on them, so...

"So this person who threatened you, is he powerful?" I blinked for a moment, still stuck in my theories about the strange pads.

"I uh. Yeah, I guess he is. He is the big boss at my law firm."

"Well, that complicates things. Have you thought about resigning?" I smiled at the woman's logic. Straightforward, it was a virtue I guess. The corner of the room appeared out of the half dark. It contained a rather large collection of punching bags in all shapes and sizes, most of them patched up with one or more layers of duct tape.

"The thought crossed my mind. But if I resign I'm basically signing over everything my father worked for most of his life. I don't want this... this bastard to take my inheritance and run with it."

We reached Anna, who was sweating profusely. Her hair stuck to her scalp and she had lost her coat and sweatshirt, punching away at the bag wearing just her tank top and jeans. I stared at her for a moment, quite lost in the way she moved. She was so... _focused. And hot._ Her eyes were fixated on her target, her shoulders tensed and her arms flying, launching her fists into the leather punching bag or retracting them to her face.

Mulan shouted something and Anna stopped. She stood there, breathing heavily and looking at Mulan. I couldn't help my eyes shooting to her muscled forearms and shoulders, defined by the workout and the sheen of sweat covering her skin. "Anna, I told you this last time. Keep your front elbow in front of your body. You let it swing outwards, leaving your ribs open." She said something else I didn't understand and Anna turned back to the punching bag after giving me a slight wink.

Mulan beckoned me over and for a moment I was worried she'd make me punch a punching bag as well, but instead she just led me to an empty spot in between the collection of bags. "I'll just show you something basic, okay? If you want to learn more don't hesitate to ask." I nodded hesitantly. Was I going to learn how to punch things? I really didn't want to punch things. I looked over at Anna. _But what if they go after her?_ I gritted my teeth. Mulan noticed and she cleared her throat. "Okay, grab my wrist."

"What?" I frowned at her.

"Grab my wrist. Just with your hand." She held out her arm and I grabbed it with my uninjured hand. But then I didn't. It went so fast, I wasn't sure what just happened. "Again," Mulan said. This time I felt her pull her wrist loose from my grasp. "Okay, now it's your turn." She showed me the weak points of a person's grip and after a few tries I managed to pull myself away from Mulan. I was sure she wasn't using her full strength, but that was OK.

"Anna! I did it!" I said excitedly as I triumphantly held up my reddish wrist. The redhead moved over, still breathing heavily from her workout. There was sweat dripping down her face and torso and I couldn't help but follow it down to the edge of her tank top.

"See? I knew you'd like it!" I snapped my gaze back up to her face, but I had the inkling she had noticed my distraction.

I cleared my throat. "This kind of stuff is kind of interesting, yeah. I don't know if I really want to punch and kick people though."

"Say kind of one more time, I swear to god..." Anna softly punched me in the shoulder. "Sabum, do you mind if I use your shower?"

"Sure, Anna. Go ahead." The two women bowed at each other and Anna took off.

"Why do you do that? The bowing?"

"It's a sign of respect and trust. You can use it for all kinds of things. When I give a class we do it at the beginning and the end of each class, when we start an exercise, when we end an exercise, when you thank someone, when you apologise to someone..." Mulan shrugged. "We use it all the time. You show that person you respect them and won't intentionally hurt that person and you also relay that you trust that person not to harm you." She frowned. "I've grown so used to it, it's become my version of a handshake really."

"Isn't it like that in a lot of Eastern countries?"

"That's true." She smiled. "I can see Anna cares for you. And she's quite worried." I tried to interject but she held up her hand, silencing me easily. It was true what she had said earlier, she had the air of someone you didn't want to mess with. "From what you and Anna have told me I don't think someone might suddenly attack you, but if things get worse, please give me a call. I don't want Anna getting hurt." She took a business card from the pocket of her sweat pants, slightly frumpled. I grabbed one from my own pocket as if it was instinct and we exchanged them.

"I'll call you. And the cops."

"By the time it gets that serious I expect to already be by your side." She smiled. "My hourly rates as a bodyguard are quite agreeable. Plus, I really need to pay that electricity bill."

* * *

Anna sat next to me in the car wearing a pair of light grey sweatpants and a black tank top that seemed slightly too small for her. I looked at her. "Did you just steal a pair or your teacher's clothes?"

"Don't worry, she can have mine." She frowned. "Those jeans were expensive though."

"I'll buy you some new ones," I laughed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sagged down in her seat, her shins up against the dashboard. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd put on your seatbelt."

"So, are you going to take lessons?"

I sighed. _Subtle distraction, Anna._ "I don't know. I like her, she's nice - and probably not a bad idea to have around when things go wrong."

"Yeah she's great when shit hits the fan. Really calm, she can defuse almost any situation just by staring people down. But if needed she'll kick the living crap out of you."

"Does everything with her have to do with excrement?" I laughed as I stopped at a red light.

"What?" Anna looked at me sideways. I shook my head.

"Nothing." It fell silent for a moment, Anna staring out of the window. "So, have you been in a lot of fights? With Mulan?"

"God no. Well, yes I've fought her on the mat, but not for real. I'd be dead." She chuckled. "But this once there was a small group of bikers that came by the warehouse during training. Mulan just told us to stay put as she dealt with them. She walked over as they were trash talking her but by the time she reached them they had all scrambled outside and all she had to do was shut the door. She never laid a finger on them, never changed the pace with which she walked towards them. She just walked over to shut the door." Anna grinned from ear to ear as she thought back to the moment. "But real fights? No, never been in one."

"So, just on the mat?" A part of me didn't like the idea of Anna fighting other people, even if it was with gloves on. "Wait, you guys wear gloves right?"

"Yeah, of course. Gloves, shin protectors, foot pads, a mouth guard and sometimes a helmet." She shrugged. "I don't like helmets, but they're nice. Prevent your eardrums from popping when you get kicked in the head." She brought her hand to the side of her head in slow motion, moving her head to face me whilst acting out she was in intense pain. I didn't think it was funny. "Sorry Munchy," she said when she saw my face. "You should come to a training. Not to participate, but just to watch. You'll see it's not all that bad."

We drove into town and Anna perked up. "We should stop by the pub. Kristoff isn't working but we can get something to eat." I still hadn't eaten so I agreed and parked in front of the building on Anna's directions.

"They know me here. And it's not busy anyway."

"If I get a parking ticket it's on you," I warned Anna. She just laughed and took my arm again as we walked inside, hugging it to her body. I still had the image of her being in intense pain etched in my mind. Anna set me at the bar and left to use the bathroom, leaving me there with the bartender. The rest of the bar was completely deserted.

"Good evening! I saw you last week, ya?"

"Yes, I was here last week. I still have that tab, don't I?"

"Miss Elsa Shields, yes." I suddenly laughed. "Is there something wrong?"

"I have been wondering for a while how Kristoff knew my name before I ever told him. I guess that's how." I shrugged and raised my hands apologetically. "I'm sorry. I've had a weird week. Can I get a cup of tea?"

"You still driving, ya?" I nodded and he poured a tea and a beer. I wasn't surprised he knew Anna's preference, but I was surprised it was beer. Last time she had been drinking that sweet stuff. Who knows what it was called.

"Would you also like something to eat?"

"Yes, please!" I emphasised the last word and the man laughed.

"I'll get you the special, two of them."

"What's the special?"

"The only thing that's on the menu on Fridays." I chuckled and nodded.

When Anna returned from the toilet the bartender had just disappeared into what must be the kitchen. To be honest I didn't have very high expectations of the food, but I was so hungry I could eat anything. When Anna sat down next to me I remembered how she had managed to set pasta sauce on fire. _Okay, maybe not anything._

"Did you order?" Anna asked as she took a sip of her beer. I nodded and took one of the coasters from the bar, twirling it between my fingers. Anna observed me for a moment. "Uhm, Elsa..." I looked up. Anna was blushing slightly as she pushed a lock of her still slightly wet hair behind her ear. "I have been wondering since Tuesday what this... what we are."

_Here we go._ I straightened my back and turned to Anna. She had turned towards me as well, putting one of her hands on the bar. I hesitated for a moment before putting mine next to hers. "I'm not sure." I glanced sideways to make sure no-one was listening. "I have been so busy with this meeting..."

"Oh I know, I don't mean to pressure you into deciding anything or something. I just thought maybe you knew. Or had thought about it. Or maybe you haven't and I'm just being very rude and inconsiderate because of course you have other things on your mind right now..."

I quickly put my hand on hers, squeezing it lightly. Her voice faltered and fell away. "I have been thinking about it. And I think the only thing I've concluded is that I have no idea what's going on or what I want."

Anna looked at my face for a moment. "What if I had been a man?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Anna was now flushed a deep red. "You said something earlier, about you always having been straight. And if you've always thought that, I can imagine it's... confusing and scary to suddenly have feelings for someone. A girl." She shot up. "Not that I'm assuming you have feelings for me of course! You just said that you did on Monday, but Monday was a weird day and then we kissed and I felt so bad..."

"Anna..."

"I just wanted to say that it was just a kiss. And if you don't want to do anything with it, with me, from now on that's totally fine. If that's what you want."

"What makes you think I don't want to do anything?"

"Kristoff said you wanted to take it slow. And that when he acted like that was the normallest thing in the world you were surprised." Anna took a breath. "So I just want to make sure that whatever you want, that's totally fine." She turned her hand over and grabbed mine. "Also don't be mad at him for blabbing, he means well but he's a bit of a doofus."

"I just..." I ran my thumb over Anna's hand and put my other hand in my neck, scratching myself with the bandage. _Just tell her. She's being so open, you might as well explain yourself._ I was unable to look at her so I put my hand back in my lap and stared at the bandage. "Like you said, I always thought I was straight. But when I realised I might not be, it kind of made sense actually."

Anna's face seemed to light up, but then she quickly toned it back down, scratching her nose with her free hand. "Oh?"

"I mean I've had boyfriends. When I was in university there was this one boy... I thought I was going to marry him at some point." I laughed faintly. "I had a bit of a distorted image of love." I licked my lips and Anna squeezed my hand slightly.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." _Oh my god, she is too considerate. It's almost too much. Almost._

"I want to. It's only fair." I tilted my head. "I just didn't love him. It didn't feel right. When we kissed, it was... scientific. I was aware of what I was doing, I used all these tips I found in magazines... but it was just that. A kiss. He was pushing for more, I didn't really want to." My face felt like it was on fire. _With you I forgot where I was. So yeah, there's that._

Anna's eyes widened. "He didn't. You didn't, right?"

"No, we didn't. Thank god." I glanced up at Anna's eyes. "So yeah. I've never."

"Well, that's okay." She shrugged. "I mean everything is better than... that." Then she smiled. "Well, if it's okay with you, I'd very much like to be your first." My eyes widened and I pulled my hand back from her grasp. "Girlfriend! Girlfriend! I meant girlfriend!" Anna brought both her hands to her mouth and looked at me with such a shocked expression on her face it was comical. Despite my heart pounding in my chest I couldn't help but laugh. Anna turned away and let her head fall forward. Her forehead hit the bar with a loud thud. "I didn't even mean girlfriend. I really just meant to... I don't know, ask you out on a date or something." She rested both her arms on top of her head. "Just kill me now. Please."

I laughed and took her closest arm, crossing my fingers through hers. "Well now we've both asked each other out so let's definitely do that date. I'd like that. I might be a bit awkward and insecure and not sure what to do and..." I shrugged as Anna rolled her head far enough to the side to look at me. "I might become as big of a doofus as you."

Anna straightened up and smiled. "Impossible," she said. There was a red circle on her forehead and I rubbed at it with my thumb.

"Maybe," I laughed.

"But seriously, I'm fine with any pace you set. There's no rush. On anything." I was getting uncomfortable with how many times she repeated that. _But that's a good thing. It means no more worrying about taking advantage of anything. Or anyone._

"Okay, agreed. But only if you are also very clear of what you don't want. Or do want." Anna just smirked at that, almost scoffed even. But I knew she'd heard me.

The doors to the kitchen slammed open and the bartender came stomping towards us with two plates of food. He set them down in front of us. "Thank god, I thought you two would never figure it out. Dinner is almost cold."

* * *

**/Hope you guys enjoyed that! Longest chapter so far! Yay! (the next chapter is going to be 2k-3k words longer, but shush)**


	11. Chapter 11: The beanie

**/Shoutout to my Tumblr pal Celerysticks for giving me a bit of a signal boost!  
/Enjoy this chapter, guys. Don't be afraid to leave reviews. I thoroughly enjoply them! (Enjoy & reply)**

* * *

**Chapter 11  
**The beanie

"Oh my god!" Kristoff screamed in a high pitched voice. "Really? You're kidding right? No you're not kidding because if this was a joke I'd honestly kill someone." I was holding out the Martin guitar to the boy and he seemed to be positively bursting with joy.

Anna laughed, clutching her sides. "Careful Kristoff, don't forget to breathe. We wouldn't want your eyeballs to roll out of your sockets."

"Can I... can I touch it?" The blonde held out his hands and I handed the guitar over to him.

"Of course, it's yours now!" I looked over at Anna, who was grinning from ear to ear when Kristoff took the guitar and ran his fingers over the body again.

"Solid... mahogany..." Kristoff took the guitar to the couch and ran his fingers over the snares. "High quality steel strings... that won't actually cut my fingers..." He struck a chord and moaned. "Perfectly tuned!"

Anna pretended to shield her eyes. "...Oooookay, I think it's time we left Kristoff alone with his new girlfriend. They clearly have a lot to talk about." We were all standing in the boys' apartment. It was late Sunday evening and Anna and I had just returned from the pub. The food had actually been really good and I was stuffed from the beef stew and homemade bread. I had even risked a beer.

The rest of the night had been great. Anna had me tell her about university and some of the better cases I'd worked on. I left out any personal things, because I'd had enough of talking about deep and meaningful stuff for a while. Or at least that night. I just wanted to make Anna laugh, to talk about nonsense and spend time with her. Which brought me to our upcoming date.

I had agreed to be the one to take Anna out, but that left me with the problem of deciding what kind of date I wanted to take her on. Would she want me to just take her out to dinner? A movie? I could cook for her, maybe that was more romantic. I sighed. _You're used to just letting boys come to you, you never really had the urge to chase them around and now you don't know how to._

"Hey Munchy, I hate to say it but I have to be in the hospital very early tomorrow morning." Anna took both of my hands and held them in between us. Sven walked over to Kristoff to admire the guitar with him, but the blonde boy resolutely turned away from him.

"It's mine, you kept it hidden from me." He strummed the snares again, but he kept his eyes on Sven.

"What?! Elsa gave it to me for safekeeping is all! Should I have ruined her surprise by giving it to you before she came back?" He attempted to sit down on the couch with Kristoff, but the boy resolutely stood up.

"Maybe!" Kristoff yelled, before walking to the corner of the room and sitting down, glaring at anyone who dared to come too close to him and his new love.

I looked back at Anna. "I guess hospitals don't close over the weekend, hm?"

She laughed. "It's a good thing they don't, you don't want to know what crazy things people get up to when they don't have work the next day." She winked at me and I blushed slightly. _Well at least you ended up crashing in her bed, not in the hospital._ I smiled at the redhead. _And everything turned out a lot better than expected._

Anna shrugged, the movement pulling me back to reality. "We do cycles during the weekends every now and then. I have Monday and Tuesday off though!"

I smiled. "I'll think of something to do on Monday, ok? I don't think I'll have to show my face at work for a while, at least until the board comes to a decision." I imagined what would happen if I just showed up for work on Monday. If I sat down at my cubicle I'd be admitting defeat but if I strutted into the CEO's office I'd be acting arrogant. And seeing how I didn't feel like sitting in the lobby all day staying home was probably the best option.

"When you go back into work I'm coming with you," she said resolutely. I smirked at that. My own personal bodyguard. Maybe I should call Mulan after all, to make sure Anna wouldn't go berserk and attack the first colleague to walk towards me. _It's almost too bad she's training to become a doctor, I wouldn't mind having her around at work._

"We'll see about that," I said as I squeezed her hands. I looked back at the boys, Sven now trying to take the guitar from Kristoff whilst the blonde kept kicking at him whenever he came close enough. They were preoccupied enough not to notice the two of us.

I looked back at Anna and smiled warmly. "I want to thank you. Really thank you. You didn't have to help me, but you did. And even though martial arts is more your thing than mine, it was very nice to meet Mulan."

Anna smiled affectionately, biting her lower lip. "I wanted to help you. You don't deserve all the things that are happening to you. And well, martial arts does command me to protect others." She shot looks to both me and the boys, smiling at the scene unfolding in the corner of the room.

"Well I don't care whether you'd have done it for anyone, I'm really glad you did it for me." _Okay you can do this. Just a kiss, nothing big, no tongues, just a kiss._ I leaned forward and pressed my lips against Anna's. My stomach clenched when I felt her lean away for a second, which caused me to break the kiss and let go of her hands. "I'll be off then."

"Oooooh!" Kristoff wolf-whistled from the corner and Sven shot up, looking around confusedly.

"What's going on?"

Kristoff seized the moment and shoved the boy, making him stumble backwards a few steps. "They kissed, you ass wipe. You could've seen it, but you were too busy coming between me and..."

Sven grinned. "You and Martin? Oh Kristoff, deep down I always knew. I'm so glad you finally told..." He wasn't able to finish his sentence because Kristoff shot up so fast the brown-haired boy needed all his breath to sprint to his room and close the door. Kristoff banged on it a few times because Sven was now singing an off-key rendition of 'Kristoff and Martin sitting in a tree'.

"When you get out here you're dead! You'll need food at some point and I'll be here!"

Anna pushed me towards the door. "I think it's time we left the boys alone." I grabbed my stuff and stepped into the hallway. Anna followed me and closed the door.

We walked to the stairs together, where we paused. She had to go up, I had to go down. I smiled. "Good night, Anna."

"Good night, Elsa." I started to turn around, but then Anna grabbed my arm. "Oh, one more thing." I looked back and Anna suddenly pressed her lips against mine, lingering for a second or two before stepping back. "That other one didn't count, you caught me by surprise." She turned around and disappeared up the stairs, leaving me standing there with a heavy flutter in my stomach.

* * *

"Mrs. Almstedt! How are you?" I pressed the phone to my ear with my shoulder.

"We're okay. You bought us some more time to finalize everything on our side before the takeover of our firm, so we're just rounding up some things. How about you?"

"I'm okay, I'm a bit nervous for the board's decision but I'll be fine." I put down the book I had been reading when Mrs. Almstedt called. I put the phone back into my now free hand while I scratched Max behind his ears.

"They can't ignore your father's will, dear. Don't worry too much about it, there's nothing you can do at this point. You'll just have to wait and see exactly what the board says."

I pulled both my legs up onto the couch. I was having a lazy Sunday, wearing sweatpants and a large sweater with reading glasses propped up my nose. I had bought them the day before when I passed an optometrist in the city. I'd been wondering whether I needed glasses after I caught myself squinting when reading for a while. I didn't really like them, but they did make reading a whole lot more comfortable.

I now took them off and put them down on the book. "Yes, I'm catching up on some reading. I should go back to the storage unit and pick up some of my father's books." Honestly I had become rather curious as to what hidden treasures might be in the unit. Last Wednesday I couldn't wait to leave, but now... Maybe it was time I started digging a little bit.

Mrs. Almstedt's voice came through my Blackberry again. "That sounds like a grand idea. Now, there was a reason I called besides catching up. With this takeover business draining a lot of our funds, we've decided to sell our house in the countryside. We wanted to invite you over on Tuesday evening to have dinner with us as a goodbye to the place. We raised our children there so we want to give it a good farewell."

"Are you sure? I am one of the people who drained your funds, after all." I felt a small pang of guilt.

"Don't be ridiculous, Elsa. I thought we agreed we'd all bond over disliking Mr. Holter? Now what do you say, Tuesday evening. The gardens are lovely during this time of year and you might even walk across the pond if it's frozen solid enough."

_Tuesday. That was one of Anna's only off days... but I can't just say no to this. I'll just take her out on Monday._ "I'd love to come, Mrs. Almstedt. I feel honoured that you want to share this with me. Can you e-mail me the address and time?"

"Of course. And you should really bring that boy you're dating..." I could hear the slight giggle in the other woman's voice.

I frowned. "The boy I'm dating?"

"Yes, the one that kept texting you all the time when we were working together over the past week."

_They think it's a boy. Well of course they'd think that._ "Actually, Mrs. Almstedt, it's..." _Wait, they're religious. Very religious. I can't just bring Anna there. Oh no, you stopped talking. Say something, Elsa. Say something! What fits after 'it's'?_ "...his birthday that day."

"Oh how wonderful! All the more reason to bring him along!" I slapped my hand to my face. _Great. Just great._

"No that's okay, really. He has something planned..."

"Well apparently not something big, otherwise you would've said so when I invited you! How many times do you get the chance to celebrate your birthday by taking your girlfriend to a dinner party this fancy?" _Shit._ "Elsa, I insist that you bring that boy along. You deserve someone."

"I... thank you."

"Alright then, I'll see the two of you on Tuesday!"

"Great. See you then, Mrs. Almstedt." I hung up the phone and threw it on the couch before burying my face in my hands and moaning loudly. "What did you get yourself into this time?!" I sighed as Max bumped his head against my hands. I looked at the white cat. "Can I just bring you along?" Max meowed. "Yeah, I didn't think so." I grabbed my phone and started typing a text.

"Kristoff, I need a favour."

* * *

"Anna, are you ready to go?" I checked my watch. We still had plenty of time but for some reason I was feeling restless. I had changed three times that morning and had settled for one of my most expensive pairs of pants (dark blue Prada) and a silky light blue sweater that hugged my figure and covered the base of my neck. I had even put on a white woollen hat, but that's just because I hadn't been able to decide between tying my hair up to prevent it from getting tangled and keeping it down because it looked nice. _You've overdressed and now you keep checking your watch every two seconds. Admit it, you're nervous as hell._ I opened the buttons on my long black woollen coat. I pondered taking it off, but that might entice Anna to take even longer to get ready.

The girl was tying her hair in the base of her neck. "Yeah yeah just let me run upstairs for my beanie." I sighed. "Well if you won't tell me where we're going I'll just have to prepare for everything, won't I? Plus, it's cold!" The redhead walked past me, playfully shoving me in the shoulder. "I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Sven wasn't home but Kristoff was. As soon as Anna left his apartment the boy got off the couch and walked over to me. "Okay so this thing tomorrow, do I have to wear a tux? Because in that case I have to call and reserve one. And why can't I tell Anna about it?"

"No I don't think you'll need a tux. Just wear something nice." I looked at his sweatshirt. "So maybe not your AMU sweater." I frowned and looked at my hands for a moment. "And I don't want to tell Anna because she might take it the wrong way."

Kristoff crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What, that you're asking one of her best friends to pose as your boyfriend on a date with your business partner?"

I looked up at the boy and noticed he hadn't shaven in quite a while. It wasn't even stubble anymore, it was the beginning of a beard. It made him look even more intimidating. I swallowed. "They're not really my business partners. Not yet, at least." I bit my lip. "I just don't want her to think I'm ashamed of her or something."

"Because you're not. Right?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow. _Geez this feels like talking to her dad before taking her to prom._

I raised my hands. "No, absolutely not! They're just really religious and..." I ran my fingers over my throat. "I just don't want to cause a scene while they're going through this thing with their company. I mean, they have to sell their house and everything. They have enough to deal with right now."

I heard Anna in the hallway and I shushed Kristoff. He shrugged, but didn't seem convinced yet while he walked back to the couch. Anna burst in the door, her black beanie on her head and a grey scarf around her neck. "What are you two talking about?" I looked at her stonewashed jeans and dark green sweater. I noticed a sliver of a white shirt sticking out underneath it. She was really prepared for anything.

Kristoff let himself fall back on the couch and continued to watch his program. "Nothing." Anna looked at me and I just shrugged like I had no idea what was going on.

"Oh, okay." Anna bounced over to me and took my hand. "Now where are we going? You'd better have a great thing planned for dragging me out of bed this early." She saw my face sink and quickly held up her hands. "No pressure. I'm sure whatever you think of will be great." She hugged the length of my arm to her body. "You'll be there."

"I think you might enjoy it, but it's quite a drive."

Anna scoffed. "That's totally fine, I'm great with cars." She picked up her backpack and, to my surprise, grabbed a black leather jacket from a coat hanger. I had assumed it was Sven's, but now that I saw it up close it was about her size. She slid on the coat and swung the backpack over her shoulder. "Let's go let's go!"

Kristoff waved lazily without taking his eyes off the TV when we walked out the door. Anna stuck her tongue out at him before dragging me through the hallway, down the stairs and outside. I laughed. "I can't believe we survived that. Also, shouldn't I be the one dragging you around?"

Anna turned slightly red. "Well maybe. But whatever, I just want to get going! It's freezing!" She hugged herself as I looked around with a raised eyebrow. There was no snow and most trees still had some leaves on them. Winter had struck quite suddenly and it seemed like nature hadn't quite caught up yet.

"It's a lot warmer than it was. It's just below freezing." _Oh no, if it's too cold for her this is not going to work._

"Let's get in the car!" Anna bounded over to the passenger door and I walked over to my side to open it up. _I'm sure it'll be fine._ I sat down on my seat and started the car. Anna put the heater on and I scrunched up my nose slightly at the smell. I rarely used the heater. "What the..." I looked over at Anna, who reached down towards her feet. She pulled a white coffee mug into view and looked at me with a mixture of surprise and disgust. "How long has this been in here?"

"Oh just shut up and put on your seatbelt."

* * *

"Where are we going?! Come on, give me some hint!" We'd been driving for an hour and Anna had been incapable of shutting up. I had settled for asking her about her weekend and she'd given me detailed descriptions of the cases she had been working on.

"So that kid you treated, she's going to be fine right?"

"Well that's up to the orthopaedic surgeon, but I think so. I managed to stabilize her leg, but she's scheduled for surgery to add some pins and such." She sighed. "That was my second choice, ortho. Breaking bones and stuff."

"Isn't the point putting them back together, not pulling them apart?"

"Yeah but sometimes a break hasn't healed correctly or something and you get to break things. And you get to use drills and big saws..." She gestured in the air but then let her hands fall back onto her lap. She gazed out the window for a moment. I was just glad I got into law instead of medicine.

"But you're distracting me! Tell me where..." Suddenly she saw a sign alongside the road and pressed her hands and face up against the window before turning back to me with big eyes. "Arctica?! Really!" I laughed loudly at Anna's face, which was so scrunched up with disbelief she looked like she might burst at any moment.

"Yes, I heard it's very good." I quickly looked back to the road so I wouldn't miss the turn off. Or crash the car. _Good to know I made the right choice._

"Good? Good?! It's amazing! I've been wanting to go there for ages!" I took the exit and soon we turned onto the parking lot of the theme park, Anna still with her hands on the window. A valet pointed us towards a parking spot. "Oh come on, it's almost empty, we should be allowed to park wherever," Anna said restlessly.

We got out of the car and Anna practically crashed into me, grabbing my arm. "Oh Munchy this is great! I thought you'd be taking me out for dinner or something, or a movie. This is amazing!" _Well, there go those options._

Anna's ecstasy was contagious and I felt my cheeks go red. Or maybe that was just Anna pressing herself into me. Maybe. We started walking towards the entrance of the park. There was a large basin with several plants and a big tree in the middle, but they'd all started to wither. I knew it was an all-year-round park and made a mental note to take Anna back here in spring when all the plants and trees would come back to life.

I suddenly realised I had taken our relationship way ahead, months into the future. _You can't assume you'll still be together by then._ I opened my mouth to talk back to myself but quickly closed it. _Well I refuse to assume we won't be,_ I instead thought to myself.

"I hear they have a house completely made of ice!" Anna walked alongside me, her face dug deep into her scarf.

"I hear it's more like a palace. See that building over there?" I pointed over to a large rectangular structure, easily five stories high without windows and a lot of smoke coming out of the top. "That's the Ice Hall. They have new sculptures each year. Last year it was an ice maze I believe." I looked at her, laughing. "I'm surprised you're walking next to me so calmly all of a sudden."

Anna turned a bright red and pressed her cheek into my shoulder. "Well you were right with what you said earlier, this is your date and you should be dragging me along, not the other way around."

I took her hand in mine. "Well then, we'd better get going!" Seeing Anna's face light up made my heart beat a little faster as we started running towards the entrance holding hands, laughing and trying not to fall on the small slippery patches of ice in the parking lot. We kept a firm grip on each other and when I almost slipped, Anna caught me and pulled me along.

We managed to reach the entryway without any broken bones. All gates were closed except for one. "Two tickets please," I said in between breaths. The middle aged woman in the booth smiled at us.

"Of course. Are you two taking a sisterly trip?" she asked as she pressed her finger to the touch screen next to her. I blinked. _She thinks we are sisters._

"I uh... no not really." I let go of Anna's hand whilst the redhead checked a show list next to the window. I felt my throat go a bit dry. _Well this will probably happen more often. Just ignore it._

The woman had her hand on the ticket machine and didn't seem thrown off her plan to make idle conversation. "Well it's always nice to see two sisters getting along so well. Me and my older sister..." She shook her head and shuddered. _She just works here, she doesn't mean anything with it._

Anna hadn't heard the woman but noticed my discomfort when she finished reading the show list. "Something up?" she whispered at me, trying to take my hand again.

I avoided her hand by reaching up to the window. "She thinks we're sisters," I told her in a low voice. Anna raised her eyebrows, but then got a sultry look on her face as she shot a look to the woman in the booth.

"Oh reaaaally?" she said slowly. The woman handed me the two tickets through the window so I wasn't looking at Anna until she suddenly pulled my head sideways. "Thanks for paying for my ticket, sis." She put her hand in my neck and pressed her lips against mine, using her other hand to tuck a strand of hair underneath my white woollen hat. When she pulled away a few seconds later I was very glad with the cold air on my overheated skin and had to resist the urge to pull my hat off.

I shot an embarrassed look at the ticket woman, who stared at us with a mixture of disbelief and surprise on her face. "Uhm thanks. See ya," I muttered as Anna yanked on my arm and pulled me through the gate, laughing as she went.

It took me one look to figure out how this park worked. There were lanes leading everywhere and you were not supposed to leave them, which forced you to go through the entire park (and most likely past all the merchandise) before you could leave. There were small signs everywhere, telling people to stay on the paths and stay off the grass. The entryway led out into a small square with a large sculpture in the middle. This one wasn't made of ice however.

Anna walked over to the sculpture and ran her hand over it. "It's plexiglas, but look at the shape! It's amazing!" I had to agree with her, the sculptor had done a great job depicting a large, fountain-like spray frozen in midair. I held my head sideways. With some imagination you could see a flower in it. Or a hockey stick.

"Come on Elsa, let's take some pictures!" I had brought my reflex camera (another spur of the moment purchase, but one that had proven a lot more useful than my overpriced coffee table). I checked the settings and quickly took a few shots of Anna. I went to put the camera away but Anna beckoned me over and took the camera from me. "You need some pictures too!" I wanted to decline, but Anna positioned me in front of the sculpture so I just smiled goofily. I wasn't used to people taking pictures of me.

Anna got down on one knee, my camera still in front of her face. "Oh yes darling that's wonderful! Strike a pose, strike a pose!"

"Anna, what on earth are you doing?" I took a step towards her but she waved me back.

"Models aren't supposed to talk!" she scolded me. "Now strike a pose!"

I wasn't sure what to do, so I just stuck my arms in the air. Anna took the shot, then got up and walked back to me. "That's about what I do when I win a match," she grinned as she handed the camera back over. "And don't you dare delete the pictures with yourself in it when you get home, I demand to pick a few for me to keep."

"Of me?" I asked incredulously.

"Of us, silly."

There was only one lane leading away from the square, and of course it had shops on all sides. We walked along the entire thing, Anna's arm through mine. She pointed a few things out to me but every time I asked whether she wanted to go inside she fervently shook her head. I was a bit annoyed, not with Anna but with the way the theme park seemed to shove every single bit of merchandise in your face. _Hopefully it's just at the start here and it will lessen when we get-_ I jumped when a large snowman suddenly walked into my vision from within one of the shops. Anna latched onto my arm, startled as well.

"Hello! My name is Olaf and I like warm hugs!" The man in the snowman suit spread his arms as an invite, but when both Anna and I just stared at him with confused expressions on our faces he lowered the twigs that posed as the suit's arms and spoke to us in a low voice. "Okay listen ladies, my boss is watching and I'm on probation here. Can you at least pretend to think I'm cool, funny or otherwise worthy of keeping my job?"

"Munchy, quick!" Anna let go of my arm and jumped over to hug the snowman. "Take a picture of me with this awesome snowman! Look at him! His nose is so orange and his buttons are so shiny!" I laughed loudly, one hand pressed to my mouth. "Come on Munchy, we don't have all day! Olaf here needs to entertain the hordes of children in the park!" I looked around at the almost deserted shop street (it was a Monday after all). I quickly took my camera out of my bag and took a picture. I thought I was done but then Anna struck a different pose with the man and I took another picture, and another one.

Anna slapped the snowman-suited man on his back. "I hope that was enough!"

The man laughed, causing the entire suit to shake. "Yeah that should do it. Either my boss will hire me on a permanent basis or I've just definitely lost my job." I smirked at the man's comment. Anna moved towards me but the man stopped her. "Hey, hold on. I know I don't look like much in a snowman suit, but I get off in a few hours. Maybe we can hang out together?"

Anna looked at the snowman's mouth, through which two brown eyes looked down on her. "Well uh..." I saw a slight blush creep up Anna's face from underneath her scarf as she pulled her beanie lower onto her head.

I stepped over to the pair and grabbed Anna's arm. "She's taken," I said whilst striding off, my heart thumping in my ears. Anna walked backwards with me, waving at Olaf.

"Sorry Olaf, my girlfriend doesn't like me talking to strangers!"

"That's okay! You two have fun!"

Anna turned around and took my arm, giggling lightly. "Maybe he just wanted to hang out with the both of us. It's a possibility, you know." She flicked her thumb over my cheek. "You look like I could roast marshmallows on your skin."

I slowed down. We had left the shopping lane behind us and were approaching a fork in the road with a blue sign showing us which part of the park was either way. I looked up at it. "Where do you want to go first, the Ice Hall or the rides?"

Anna pointed to the left. "Let's do some rides first, save the best for last!"

I sucked on my tongue for a second as we started walking again. "Did you mean what you said?"

Anna looked at me. "What?"

I eyed a young family with two children sitting on a bench, enjoying a large cotton candy together. The youngest child, a boy, clearly didn't agree with his older sister holding the grand prize of sugary goodness, which led to a small fit.

I turned my eyes back to the pavement in front of me. "You called me your girlfriend."

Anna softly nudged me in the shoulder. "Well you started it by yelling I was taken."

"I just meant that..." _You meant what, Elsa? Admit it, you said exactly what you meant. You meant to say that she was taken. That she's yours._ "You're here with me." _No, that's not what you meant._

Anna pulled on my arm to stop me. She turned me to look at her and ran her fingers over my eyebrows. "If you keep worrying so much I'll be nauseous from looking at your eyebrows before we even reach the rides," she said with a smile. She leaned her head to the side. "Can't you just tell me what you're thinking?"

"I..." I shrugged and looked over Anna's shoulder at the Ice Hall in the distance. Maybe I should live there. An ice palace, where people would leave me alone and I could talk to myself all day long.

Anna sighed and rubbed her neck. "Okay then, tell me what you want. Without taking other people and their thoughts into consideration. Even mine."

_Say it. Just say it._ "I want to..." My voice faltered. _Jesus Elsa, you're a real piece of work, you know that?_ I frowned. I shouldn't blame myself, this was all very new to me. _Say that to her, not to yourself._ I looked at Anna still standing there. "This is all very new to me. I'm not that straightforward. I over think things."

"Yeah, that's why I'm telling you to stop that." She laughed. "I can see why you became a lawyer. You can just prepare everything back home, do your research, prepare some paperwork and then go into battle." _Well not always, last Friday was quite different._

_Last Friday. You were taken completely by surprise. But you still managed. You got through that. Then why can't you tell this girl what you want?_ I straightened my back. _Now say it before you chicken out again._ "I'd like that."

Anna looked confused. "What?"

"I'd like to call you my girlfriend. And I want you to call me yours." My heart was beating in my throat and I felt my palms get a bit sweaty.

Anna suddenly raised her hands to the sky and let her head fall back. "Oh dear lord, she did it! She said what was on her mind!" She brought her head back up and grabbed my hands, her expression soft. "Does that mean I can now kiss you whenever I want?"

I felt my cheeks go red again. "Didn't you already do that before?"

"Yeah well but I wanted to kiss you a lot more often." She saw my confused face and brought her hands up between us, counting on her fingers. "Let's see. There was in the pub last Friday, there was a couple of times on the way back to the boys' apartment, in the apartment itself, in the hallway, then when I saw you again this morning when you came to pick me up, downstairs, at the car, in the car..." She ran out of fingers to use and saw my shocked face so she took my hands again. "You are just very kissable." She bit her lip. "I was just worried I'd be pushing you. Those two times I kissed you were just me acting before thinking."

_Admit it, you've been wanting to kiss her as well._ Anna ran a finger across my cheek. "But our agreement stands." _It's just kissing. It's not like you'll be undressing each other every time you are alone._ That thought made my face go a shade so red, Anna frowned and squeezed my hands. "Are you okay?"

I glanced at the freckles on her nose, her red hair sprouting from underneath her beanie. _You want to be with this girl. She wants to be with you. So what's the problem?_ I smiled. "I'm perfect," I said as I leaned forward to kiss her.

* * *

"That. Was. Amazing!" Anna pulled the hood of her vest up and pulled it tight around her face. "Did you see that?! We went so fast and then there was the fountain we went around and the looping!" Several people were smiling at the redhead's enthusiasm, something I had noticed a few times now. I was always taught that I had to be calm and reserved so people would respect me, but this girl just did whatever she wanted and people seemed to love her for it. I know I did.

"We should go again!" Anna grabbed my arm.

"Oh no Anna, you're not taking me on that thing. Something smaller sure, but not anything that turns me upside down." I gently tugged on her arm and we started walking down the lane leading away from the roller coaster. It had gotten slightly more crowded, at least to the extent where we had to adjust our pace to the other people walking around. Maybe I had to rethink my plan to bring Anna here in spring, if this was how crowded it was on a Monday at the beginning of winter.

Anna suddenly stopped in her tracks and I looked at her. She pointed in the distance. "Hey look! Isn't that Olaf?" Anna pulled her hood back, accidentally pulling her beanie off with it. She ran off but I stayed behind to pick up her beanie. I reached down, but suddenly there was a black leather boot on top of it. I looked up, still bent halfway down to the ground with my arm outstretched. I was met by the gaze of a handsome man with brown hair. I recognised his face but it took me a moment to link him to the man I had seen last Friday at the office. He had been wearing a white suit then, now he was wearing baggy jeans and a black coat.

"Hello Elsa," he said. I got up and looked behind me for a second but I didn't see Anna. I did see Olaf a little down the road and assumed Anna would be there with him. "It's rude not to look at people when they're talking to you," the man said.

"It's rude to step on someone's headwear and then keep standing on it when you could have just said hello," I retorted sharply. For some reason I absolutely did not like this man. I couldn't exactly say why, but there was something about him that I just didn't trust.

The man nodded. "That's true." He didn't seem like he was about to move though, so I looked at him with the most professional smile I could muster under the circumstances. Those circumstances would be my heart pounding high in my throat. This man was trouble, I knew it.

"I don't think I ever caught your name," I said.

"The name's Hans," the man said as he held out his hand. I looked at it and crossed my arms. He shrugged and stuck his hand back in his pocket. "I'm here on behalf of my boss."

"And who would that be?"

"None of your business." The man licked his upper lip and looked into my eyes, giving me the feeling he was trying to stare me down. _Anna, where are you._ I managed to keep my eyes from tearing up as I looked back into the man's dark brown eyes, causing him to smile. "Wednesday you will receive a phone call saying the board has come to a decision regarding the law firm. They will offer you the position of CEO on a trial-basis, meaning you will be working alongside Holter until you have proven yourself to the board, at which point they will reconvene to discuss a more permanent solution involving you." I blinked, confused.

"Okay, thank you for the news. I'm not sure why..."

"You will turn the offer down. You will resign from the company immediately and sign all shares and stakes and whatever else you own over to Mr. Holter." He took a small step forward until there was only a small breath of cold air in between us. "Understood?"

And with that he disappeared. I looked around but he was gone, swept up in the crowd. I stood there for a moment while people moved around me, looking at me, probably wondering why I was standing frozen in the middle of the path. "Elsa?" I heard Anna's voice and the girl appeared next to me. She noticed her beanie on the ground, now ruined. "Oh so I did lose it! Thanks for finding it!" She picked it up and held it between two fingers. "Not that I'll ever be able to wear this again."

_Was that another threat? Who the hell does Hans work for?_ Anna threw the beanie in a bin and slid her arm through mine. "Are you okay?"

I looked at her. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and excitement and she hugged my arm against her. _Don't ruin her day._ I smiled. "Let's go get some food and then head over to the Ice Hall?"

Anna rubbed her hand over her stomach. "Hell yeah, I'm starving!"

"Did Olaf ask you out again?" I asked with a playful poke in her side.

Anna laughed. "I took a couple of pictures of him with some kids for his boss. Turns out he lives on the other side of the country though, so hanging out would be difficult." She smiled at a little girl that passed us. I didn't want to admit it, but I was relieved. _Oh come on, this is Anna we're talking about. She won't just cheat on you with a snowman. She's your girlfriend now._ I felt some butterflies crash into the inside of my stomach as I tangled our fingers together.

* * *

"And then we went to the Ice Hall and you should've seen it Kristoff! The palace was amazing! I went through all the rooms, but Elsa didn't want to come in." She shot me an angry look as I unwrapped my scarf from my face and hung it on a chair.

"Well it was made for kids, Anna. You were already on your hands and knees, I just didn't feel like crawling after you. These pants cost over a hundred dollars." I ran my hands over my pant leg, flattening out the fabric.

"Why on earth do you have pants that cost over a hundred dollars? And why did you wear them to a theme park?" Anna asked as she sat down on the couch next to Kristoff, who was still hugging the guitar to his chest.

I turned slightly red and Kristoff kicked Anna in the leg. "She just wanted to look nice for you, doofus."

Anna looked at me, but I pretended not to have heard Kristoff. He was right, of course. I walked over to the fridge. _You still haven't told her about Hans._ "Can I grab a can of coke, Kristoff?"

"Yeah, of course. Grab me a beer while you're there."

I opened the fridge and had to look for a few seconds before I found the cans on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The whole thing was a mess and I smelled at least a few things that should've been thrown out a while ago. Oh well, not right now. "Anna, you want anything?"

"No I'm good." Her voice was a lot closer than I expected so I looked around and noticed her standing behind me. I got up with two cans in my hands and turned around with a questioning expression on my face, but Anna just wrapped her arms around my waist while the fridge slowly fell shut.

"Well you look amazing, Munchy. And I had an equally amazing day." She rose on her toes to kiss me and I held my arms out to the side, not sure what to do with the cold beverages while I felt a familiar knot forming in my stomach.

Anna pulled our bodies together and suddenly someone took both cans from my hands. "I'll take that," I heard Kristoff say. I wanted to break away from the kiss but Anna put her hand in my neck and pulled me closer. "Yours is on the kitchen counter," the boy said lazily before walking off. I heard the tell-tale sound of a can being opened, then a door closing. He'd gone into his room.

Anna broke off the kiss and deepened our hug by pressing her ear into my shoulder, snuggling her face into my neck. "I can't wait to see where you take me for our next date," she mumbled.

* * *

I stood in front of my closet with my hands in my hair. I was wearing a matching set of dark red underwear and a thin silver watch, which I now checked. I had twenty minutes before I had to leave to pick up Kristoff.

"Oh Sitron, what on earth am I supposed to wear? I don't want to look stuck up, like it's just another work appointment... but I can hardly show up in a sweatshirt." The cat stroke past my shins and purred. I bent over to stroke its soft fur and allowed a slight smile to play around my mouth. "Well at least I have you to pick for me."

I ended up wearing a black skirt that fell loosely around my upper legs down to my knees, over a pair of black tights that ended up in purple pumps to match my shirt. It was a rich purple shirt that had a lower cut than I usually wore, but I had to admit it looked good on me. Plus, I didn't really own anything low cut - so it was probably not that bad. Anna's tank top had been a lot more revealing. I shook my head. _Don't think about that now, you're off to dinner._

I decided to leave my hair down and brushed it until it looked and felt soft as silk. Add a little product, and there. Thick locks framed my face and ran over my head to the back, almost like I'd just walked through a wind tunnel. I applied a small amount of make-up and was ready to go. I checked my watch. Oh goody, I was late.

I grabbed my purse and carefully left the apartment, blocking Max and Sitron from following me. "I know, I know, I haven't been around as much lately, but I'll change that I promise!" _I really have been neglecting them. Well they have food and water, but..._ I sighed and started walking down the hallway, my heels clicking against the floor. It sounded a lot harsher than in Anna's or the boys' apartment, where the carpet muffled everything. Here it sounded almost hostile.

I thought back to what had happened in the theme park. This man, Hans, just shows up to prevent me from taking up a position as CEO alongside Holter. True, I wasn't looking forward to working together with the man, but if that's what the board would decide that's how it was going to be. As long as we didn't have to share an office we'd be fine.

_But why threaten you not to take the position?_ I had been thinking about that a lot ever since Hans had stepped on Anna's beanie. _It just doesn't make sense._ Googling Hans' name hadn't brought up anything, but that made sense without a last name. I had tried Hans + Holter, Hans + Holter & Shields, but nothing had brought up anything. _What's their connection?_ I'd just have to do some more research as soon as I returned to work.

I had reached the front doors and was greeted by the doorman. "Looking good miss Shields!" I smiled at the boy as he held the door for me. I noticed the sky had gone completely black already. _Damn, you are late._

"Not looking too bad yourself! That scarf is lovely," I pointed out. I was in a hurry but that didn't mean I couldn't be polite. The boy looked down at the shabby knitted scarf he was wearing.

"Yeah well my grandma made it, so what are you going to do? At least it's nice and warm!" I waved at him without looking around and headed to my car. It was a different one, I had rented it just for tonight. I didn't want to show up in my coffee-smelling old car, so I had rented a nice black sedan. It had fancy seat warmers and everything. I opened it up with the remote and the lights flickered, bringing a smile to my face. I could get used to that.

When I got in the car I received a text from Kristoff, asking whether I was on my way. I texted him back that I indeed was just about to leave and that he should come downstairs, then I pulled out of the parking lot.

I hadn't driven for a hundred meters when my phone started ringing. It automatically connected to the bluetooth in the car however so I jumped when I suddenly heard the ringtone coming from all around me. I quickly reached over and pressed the button to pick up the phone. "Hello?" I said hesitantly.

"Hello Elsa?"

"Oh Jeanie, it's you! What can I do for you? Are you ok?" I had been thinking about her that day, knowing that she had to go back into work. I had thought about calling her but in the end dismissed it, knowing that she would contact me if anything happened.

"Yes I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that the company is kind of... in shock after what happened on Friday. As an intern you hear these things you know, when you bring around coffee."

I frowned, trying to keep my attention on the road. "What do you mean?"

"Well there are people saying they hope Holter gets fired and that they'd love to see you take over. You won over a lot of hearts when you stood up to him the other day. Twice even, I heard."

I smiled. "Well that's good to hear. I found out yesterday afternoon that they might get what they want."

"Oh wow! Did the board call?"

"No not really..." I bit my lip. I wasn't sure whether I should tell her, but on the other hand, she was inside the company. Maybe she could ask around a bit. "I saw that man again today. Remember the guy in the white suit last Friday?" I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel nervously as I rounded a bend.

"The one with the wavy hair?" _So I wasn't the only one who noticed that._

"Yeah, that one. His first name is Hans, I don't know his last name. According to him they're going to offer me the position of co-CEO or something, working alongside Holter." I heard Jeanie draw in breath to respond so I quickly continued. "But he basically told me to decline the offer when it gets offered to me. He gave me the feeling something bad might happen to me if I won't."

"Oh wow." I sighed and closed my eyes. _What was I thinking, I can't drag her deeper into this. If she snoops around and gets caught she'll be in big trouble._ "Well I'll ask around here about a Hans."

"Wait, no." I ran my left hand through my hair. "That's dangerous."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. I promise not to do something stupid or get caught. I'll ask the janitor first, those people tend to know everything."

"That's... actually not a bad idea. Just please, please promise you'll be careful."

"Right back at you, Elsa." Jeanie hung up the phone and I was left in silence again.

I was so far lost in thought that I almost missed the building. Kristoff was waiting on the curb and I had to take a double take. He had used product to smooth his hair back and he had shaven his beard. It made him look a bit younger, but... dashing. There was no other word for it. He wasn't wearing a tux like he had asked me before, but he wore a very nice pair of black jeans and a black blazer over a white dress shirt.

"Wow, Kristoff," I said as he got in the car besides me. "You look really good."

He put on his seatbelt and smiled his goofy grin, looking at my skirt and low-cut shirt. "Not too shabby yourself, Elsa." He ran his hands over the dashboard of the car. "And is this your new car?!"

"It's a rental, just for today. The shirt is not too low cut?" I half joked while gesturing at my chest. I still wasn't too sure about that certain choice of outfit.

"Anna would probably say it's not deep enough, but I say you look great. Outgoing with a pinch of professionalism." He accentuated his words by pretending to throw a pinch of salt onto something. "So, where is this fancy dinner with your business partners?"

"Somewhere out of town, I already entered the information into the GPS. Should be half an hour or something." I pulled away from the curb and headed for the highway. "So, did Anna..." I wasn't sure how to phrase my question, so I fell quiet.

"...see me leave? No, she was out so she didn't notice anything." He crossed his arms, looking like he was sulking a bit. "So, explain this to me again," he started. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. _Just drop it._ "Why didn't you just ask Anna along, if you're not ashamed of her?"

"I would have asked her, but they're so... religious. Everything is God's will, all that. Maybe when I get to know them a bit better I'll tell them I'm bisexual or something." _Distract him with something._ I looked at Kristoff's immaculate shirt. "Did you already own this?"

He leaned his seat back a bit and folded his hands behind his head. "Believe it or not, I know some etiquette. Don't worry about me using the wrong silverware or something." He wiggled deeper into his seat and closed his eyes. "These seat warmers are heaven."

"Want me to turn on some music so you can sleep until we get over there?" I asked sarcastically, a bit annoyed. I figured we should be getting our stories straight by now, how long we'd known each other, when we started dating, that kind of stuff.

Kristoff didn't pick up on my mood. "That'd be great," he muttered. "Nothing too heavy."

I reached for the radio but paused. "Actually, Kristoff. I need to tell you something that happened yesterday at the theme park."

"If you mean you and Anna going steady, I already know about that."

"No no, nothing like that."

Kristoff opened his eyes and looked at me. "Something serious?"

"It has something to do with that threat I received on Friday." Kristoff put his seat back into a normal position and listened intently to my story about Hans. When I was done he looked out the window for a little while.

He turned back to me, one hand still in his neck and the other one on his knee. He looked uncomfortable. "You could just go to the police and ask if they've heard about that Hans person. It's all starting to sound a bit criminal."

"I'd rather not do that before I hear back from the board about my position. Like I said, if I accuse Holter of anything now they..."

"...might think you're just trying to make him look bad. I know, you said that." He seemed to be massaging his own neck. "But it's now really starting to sound like a threat. This isn't just a guy throwing something at your face after a meeting Elsa, this dude followed you to a bloody theme park and waited until you were alone to threaten you. This is serious."

"I know!" I almost shouted and I breathed in deeply whilst keeping my eyes on the highway. "I know," I said more calmly. "And I'm worried. Really worried. Yesterday evening some guy passed me on the street and I jumped. Now I know I'm not the most jolly person, but that's a lot even for me."

"Does Anna know about this?"

"No." I hesitated. "I'm worried that she might get herself hurt."

"Well to be honest I'm worried that you might get yourself hurt, Elsa. At least Anna knows some martial arts."

"Martial arts don't do much if it's really criminal. Unless she can deflect a bullet with her fist."

"This isn't funny, Elsa."

"I know," I said softly.

Kristoff was silent for a while. When he finally spoke up it was with a voice quieter than the one he normally used. "So why are you telling me?" He rubbed his face. He looked a bit tired and I almost felt bad for telling him. But...

"I just needed someone to know. Just in case something happens to me."

Kristoff looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. "So when you get killed I have the honour to go to the cops and tell them it was your boss's accomplice with a candlestick in the dining room?"

"It's just in case, Kristoff. But besides that, if I keep this inside my own head for too long I might explode." I turned on the signal lights to get off the exit. There was a forest up ahead. "But I have another day. They won't do anything until I accept the position of CEO." My stomach suddenly made a little jump. _I will become the CEO of the company._

"How did this Hans dude even know about that?" Kristoff asked.

I shrugged. It was a good question. "Maybe the board has already convened but they're just doing the paperwork or something." It sounded stupid, even to me. Well the idea itself didn't, but then how would Hans know about it? I bit my lip. Unless someone on the board has been blabbing.

"And you're still going to accept the offer?" Kristoff sounded a bit grumpy. I understood why. If it had been the other way around I probably would have called him nuts for going through with it as well.

"Do you think they're just going to leave me alone when I sign everything over?"

"They probably will."

I sighed as we drove into the forest. I took my foot off the gas for a moment. "Maybe. But it's mine, Kristoff."

"You've only been working there for five years. Why is this so important to you?"

_Because this is my way of remembering my dad. Of remembering the times we once had. I don't care about guitars, desks or old crossbows. I care about what my father built up, and is now being destroyed by one of the biggest assholes I've ever met._ "I don't want to talk about it."

After a few minutes of silence I cleared my throat. "Kristoff?" The boy looked at me, his face soft again. Luckily he didn't stay grumpy for long. "I really care about Anna."

"I know," he said.

"I feel like we're finally in a place from where we can move forward, you know?"

"...Okay." I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Just don't tell her about this yet. Please. I don't want anything else to come between us right now." I licked my lips. The driveway should be somewhere around here, according to the GPS. We were driving in between trees on a well-tended but narrow road.

Kristoff huffed. "She'll find out and be angry."

"Just let me take her out on another date or something, I'll tell her then. Just not now, not after the great day we've had."

Our conversation got cut off when we turned onto a gravel driveway. I raised my eyebrows. "Damn, this family has money," I said. _Had money_. Kristoff followed my gaze to the house up the hill.

"Damn, that's a mansion." It was two stories high and had a large balcony on the first floor, supported by white stone pillars. The grounds surrounding the house seemed to contain gardens, fountains and to the right I thought I could even make out a vineyard when the car's headlights swerved over it.

I pulled up in front of a few shallow steps leading up to the front door. A man with grey hair in a tux walked up to hold the door for me, but I opened it myself before he could reach me. After growing up in a house where everyone always held doors for me I had grown tired of it.

"Good evening. Miss Shields, I presume?" The man made a light bow and I nodded.

"Yes, I am Elsa Shields. And this here is my boyfriend Kristoff." Kristoff walked around the car and held out his arm to me. _Oh wow, he does know something about etiquette. _I slid my arm through his and he put his hand on mine. _Where on earth did he learn this stuff?_

The man escorted us up the stairs and opened the front door for us. _Okay fine, one door, that's OK._ We stepped into a grand hall with marbled floors. It covered both stories of the house and had a wide wooden staircase on the other side that winged to both sides, leading to balustrades along the edges of the hall.

The space looked a bit empty, I saw a few places on the wall where there must have been paintings (judging from the decolouration of the stone around it), but the walls were now very much empty. They must have already started moving things out.

"Elsa!" I turned to the side, where Mrs. Almstedt walked up to me. She ignored Kristoff and squeezed my upper arm. "You look great, dear. You should wear purple more often, it really suits you. And your hair!"

I smiled. "You look good yourself, Mrs. Almstedt." I felt Kristoff go rigid next to me. _Not the time to get nervous, Kristoff._ "I see we have both chosen to lose the pants tonight," I said in regards to the light green dress she was wearing. It had a narrow corset which wasn't laced up that tight, but the woman was so skinny it'd probably look unhealthy if she had. I was admiring the pattern of small flowers that covered the wide skirt when Kristoff cleared his throat and softly nudged me on the shoulder

"Oh and you must be the boyfriend!" Mrs. Almstedt said happily. She grabbed Kristoff's hand and shook it. "Very nice to meet you." She tried to say more, but Kristoff interjected.

"Yes, very nice to meet you. My name is Kristoff. Elsa, can we talk?" The boy looked exasperated and a bit anxious, so I turned towards him. However Mrs. Almstedt grabbed my hand.

"Don't be ridiculous, you had her to yourself during the whole ride over here." I pulled myself loose from Kristoff, who clenched my arm just a little too tight. I mouthed to his anxious face he needed to act normal and followed Mrs. Almstedt through a door. It led to a rather large space of which I couldn't say it was an office or a lounge. There was a fireplace and bookshelves along most of the walls. The floor was a rich green carpet and the furniture looked antique. It was all in the same style, dark wood with red velvet. There were several chairs and sofas in front of the fireplace and even a pool table to our left. _I had expected billiards in a place like this._

"Dear, I heard you talking about books? We have a lovely collection here." She handed me a book, then clapped her hands excitedly. "Hold on, I'll get you a copy I really enjoy myself."

Large windows looked out over the gardens and I looked through one. I wasn't that interested in books right now, this house was way more interesting. Kristoff had been following me closely, he almost bumped into me when I had stopped walking. "Kristoff, what on earth is wrong with you?"

"Elsa, there's something you need to know. The Almstedts, they're..." I heard a door opening and I turned around. A young woman came walking in and we immediately locked eyes. I dropped the book I was holding. Kristoff moaned softly. "...Anna's parents."

Mrs. Almstedt walked over to her daughter. "Come Anna, don't be shy. Come meet Elsa."


	12. Chapter 12: The oak

**/I was tempted to leave you guys hanging on that cliff a little longer, but my proofreader threatened me with hugs and love so I decided to post it... He's nicer than I am apparently.  
/Oh and for those PMs I got saying "lol that's random", the first hint towards Anna's past with the Almstedts is in chapter 5. So shush.  
/Last one (I promise), thanks for all the other amazing reviews and PMs I got from you guys ^^ Every time my phone buzzes my heart jumps!  
/And... okay J/K, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
**The oak

_Anna is their daughter?! No, this can't be happening. Not now. _I opened my mouth to say something, but Anna cut me off before I could even make a sound. She used her hands to straighten out her floor-length dark green dress, her red hair in a neat bun on top of her head. "Hello, Elsa. Nice to meet you." She was led over to me by her mother, who still seemed like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Elsa is a lawyer. She works at a big law firm in town." I tried to keep a neutral expression as I took Anna's outstretched hand. I could feel blood rushing to my face. _Why is Anna acting like this? Doesn't she want her parents to know we've at least met before? I mean, she doesn't have to tell them we're together, but she could at least say she's met me before._

Kristoff was standing behind me and nudged me softly in the shoulder when he stepped past me and took Anna's hand. "Hello Anna, my name is Kristoff. This is my girlfriend Elsa. Nice to meet you." I could see something in Anna's eyes but there was so much conflict in them that it was hard to make out exactly what she was thinking. _Wait, so her parents don't know Kristoff either?_

"Hello miss Almstedt." I smiled faintly.

Mrs. Almstedt chuckled. "I think it's fine if you call her Anna, dear. We've been asking you to call us by our first names as well, remember?"

_Get your head on straight, Elsa. Clear up your mind. Don't act crazy._ I smiled at Mrs. Almstedt. "That's not how I've been raised. But now that we're in your house, I guess I might as well. Idunn."

My eyes kept flicking between Anna and Idunn. I was talking to the latter, but my attention was with Anna. The dress she was wearing was absolutely gorgeous and it was quite distracting. The rich dark green was set off with a brown edge around her shoulders, which were left bare. They were spotted heavily with freckles and I had to actively focus on something else not to stare. The fabric looked heavy and shone under the light of the fireplace. It hugged her form and fell over her hips, where it then hung loosely to just above the floor.

Luckily Kristoff was less distracted and a lot quicker on his feet than I was. "Mrs. Almstedt, I'd love to see more of this beautiful house. Is there any chance you could show me around?"

"Of course! Elsa dear, do you want to come along?"

Anna turned to her mother. "Maybe I could show Elsa the gardens? It would give you some alone time with Kristoff, I know how much you care about boyfriends around here." I almost raised my eyebrows at the sting in Anna's voice, but I managed to keep my face neutral.

"Oh nonsense, there's no need. We can all walk around together." The woman looked at Kristoff, which gave Anna the opportunity to send the boy a sharp look.

Kristoff cleared his throat. "Actually, Idunn." I noticed he used the woman's first name, which surprised me. He then held his arm out for the middle-aged woman to take. "I don't mind walking around with you on my arm for a bit. I'm sure Elsa doesn't mind." Idunn put her hand on his arm and I could see she was impressed with the muscle.

"Oh well, if you insist." She slid her arm through his, giggling slightly. Kristoff led her out of the room through a door on the other side of where we were standing whilst Anna stared after them. She waited until the door closed behind her mother and Kristoff whilst I stood behind her, my heart high up in my throat.

The sound of the door closing hadn't even faded away before Anna roughly took my arm through hers. "Anna..." I started, but she said nothing and pulled me towards the other door, the one we had come in through. I saw the man who had greeted me at the door looking at us curiously and I just smiled softly. Anna had her arm through mine like Idunn had had her arm through Kristoff's, only hers was clenched tight and was almost pinching my skin.

We left the mansion through the front door and Anna took a sharp left, walking past the front of the house. I glanced to my left, to the window I had been standing behind a minute earlier. My mind was tumbling and tripping over itself, trying to make sense of everything. It made me dizzy and a bit nauseous, a rough tingling forming in my chest. _Oh shit, not now._

We stepped onto a gravel path in between copious amounts of rose bushes, low trees and natural large stones that were scattered around everywhere. There were even a few wooden arcs on which roses grew, but there were no flowers during this time of year. It just made everything look a bit dark and dead, with thorns everywhere, ready to rip your skin open.

Anna just kept moving over the gravel path. "Anna, where are we going?" I felt my throat starting to close. _What does all of this mean? What's going to happen between me and Anna? She looks mad. Why didn't she ever tell me about her parents? Why didn't I know... why didn't I even know her last name?_

I saw a clearing up ahead with a large tree in the middle. There was grass all around and when we stepped onto the small round field I saw it was surrounded by a thick hedge. A light in the ground at the base of the tree illuminated the impressive oak's branches. It was beautiful and ominous at the same time.

Suddenly Anna let go of my arm. She took another two steps before stopping herself. I pressed my fists to the sides of my head. I wanted to say something, but Anna was pacing around and I didn't want to make her angrier than she already was.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably more like a minute, she stopped walking and looked at me. Her eyes were intense and her entire posture was rather aggressive, her hands balled into fists down her sides. "What the fuck, Elsa?"

"I'm sorry Anna, I had no clue..."

Anna cut me off. "Why didn't you tell me you were working together with the Almstedt firm?!"

"I never realised it might be relevant to you, I didn't think it was important. If you'd only told me your last name..." I hugged my arms to my chest, my mind swimming.

"You never asked!"

"Well, neither did you!" I turned around and brought my fingers to my temples. _Calm down, Elsa. Relax._ I felt a pressure behind my eyes, which were wide open. I could feel my heart beating all through my body and my limbs started to tingle slightly. _Please, not now._

"You didn't bother telling me you had a dinner tonight? You lied to me, you said you needed to catch up on some reading when I texted you!"

I turned back around. "I did! I do! What did you want me to say?! 'Hey Anna, I'm going to this dinner with some very religious people who I work with, so I'm asking Kristoff to pretend to be my boyfriend. Okay, talk to you later!'?!"

Anna had moved into the beam of the light, causing her to look quite intimidating with her fists still in her side and her teeth clenched. "Maybe!"

"Why didn't you even tell me your parents were lawyers? It makes no sense!"

"Oh I'm terribly sorry for not throwing all my problems with my family onto you miss Shields, you seemed quite pre-occupied with your own drama."

She might as well have slapped me in the face. "That's not fair," I said in a small voice.

"No? Well a lot of things aren't fair, Elsa! I was doing my best to help you! That first moment I saw you in the pub I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, but I immediately gathered you were out of my league. But it turns out you're not, are you? I cleaned the blood off of your face, I brought you back to my place when you got so drunk you could barely walk... do you have any idea how sore I was from carrying you up all those stairs?"

"What are you even talking about? What does this have to do with anything?" I tried swallowing but my throat refused to work.

Anna gestured around wildly, her voice loud and rough. "Everything, Elsa! I saw you were unhappy, I wanted to help you! Ever since we've met I've been trying to help you. And you never even bothered to ask about me, my parents, my family. And I was still so shocked you wanted to hang out with me I didn't even bother doing anything about it."

"You never talked about them! The only thing you said was that they weren't proud of you and that you were trying to turn that around. I could see it was a complicated situation." I brought my spread hands to the side, my muscles tense as my voice skipped. "What did you want me to do, pry around in a clearly open wound?!"

"Yes! Maybe that's exactly what I wanted you to do! Instead I spent two weeks waiting for you to figure out what you wanted, when I already knew on that first night what I wanted. I've been fucking patient with you Elsa, you and your shit. I've never even been to your house, I have no idea where you live!"

"We were hanging out with Kristoff and Sven, what does it matter that you haven't seen my house? It's just a house!" _This argument is going nowhere. This has to stop, otherwise..._

"So it just stayed that way! You came into my life, into our apartments and all we've done so far is take care of you! You never asked about any of us!"

"I was trying not to be too dramatic, Anna." I dug my nails into my palms. "Whenever I needed your help I didn't want to be a huge burden so I didn't ask about what is clearly a painful past. Whenever things were going OK, I didn't ask because I wanted things to stay OK!"

"Well things are clearly not OK!"

"What do you want me to do then?!" I tried to keep my breathing under control but I was starting to see stars swimming around my vision.

"Stop being so fucking perfect!"

"Perfect? I'm not..." I felt my legs cramp up and I started to shake all over. I reached out for something to grab, but there was nothing there so I fell onto my knees, one arm outstretched to the ground and the other one clutching my chest. I heard a ringing in my ears and could barely see my own hand against the darkness of the ground.

"Elsa. Elsa, breathe." I didn't feel Anna's hands on me but I heard her voice from far away, like she was whispering in my ear. My arm was shaking so heavily I was unable to keep it straight and I felt my face hit something. There was something tickling my nose, but I had no idea what it was. It was quite dark around, all I saw was someone's hand. And knees.

_Everything is messed up. Anna's going to leave you. You're going to lose the few friends you have. Hans will come after you and hurt you. He's going to hurt Anna. No, he can't hurt Anna, please, please..._

I heard a faint scream and I turned my head to find Anna kneeling, looking down on me. She pushed me onto my back. I tried curling back onto my side but she pushed onto my shoulders to keep them flat on the ground. I brought my hands to my face and wanted to hide behind them, but Anna took them and pushed them to the side. "Elsa. Breathe!" Instead I just closed my eyes.

_What were you even thinking, assuming everything was going to be OK. You mess everything up. Anna. Your father's company. Your mom. Your brother._

I opened my eyes and saw her face close to mine, her expression worried but stern. She was visibly breathing slowly, trying to get me along. I tried a few breaths but my mind was racing around in circles so fast, it was hard to keep focus on my breathing. "Elsa I swear to god, if you don't start breathing normally soon I'll intubate you with a fucking straw and breathe for you." She let go of my hands but before I could bring them to my face she cupped her hands over my mouth. It surprised me but combined with trying to breathe slower I soon felt myself come down a bit.

_You're having a panic attack. Calm down Elsa. You're pumped full of adrenaline. You're thinking in circles._

Anna suddenly looked over her shoulder and I saw another face appear above me. It was the man I'd met before and he was panting heavily. I started getting my hearing back so I didn't need to strain anymore to hear Anna's voice, but it still sounded like a whisper. "Kai, could you get some water and a cloth for me?" He nodded and turned away, but Anna called him back. "And Kai. Please be discrete."

"Of course, Anna." He then ran off, leaving me and Anna in the grass. She still had her hands cupped over my mouth and now looked down on me, but it was almost like she wasn't focusing on me. Like I wasn't there. She moved some hair off of my face and made sure my blouse wasn't hindering my breathing. _I'm her patient_, I realised. It made me feel a bit weird, but also safe. Protected. She'd take care of me, even after a fight.

I was slowly coming down from the panic attack, but I wasn't done yet, not by far. I was still shaking and I could feel wetness on my face, which probably meant I was crying. I had trouble focusing my hearing and vision and I even forgot where I was for a moment, but I slowly started to make sense of things again. _You're starting to recover. Good. Now don't fuck up and go back into it._

I inhaled deeply and focused on my exhales, trying to get them longer each time. I closed my eyes. "Elsa, keep your eyes open. Please." The voice startled me a bit, because it was quite close and clear. _Good, at least your hearing is almost completely back. It's just a panic attack._ I noticed Anna's face was looking down on me from straight above me and I noticed something pressing down on me. I looked down and realised that Anna was straddling my hips.

Anna saw me looking. "You tried rolling back on your side the whole time. Breathing deeply and slowly in a foetal position is a bit hard so I needed to keep you on your back." She smiled slightly. "Sorry." She didn't make a move to get off however, but I didn't mind. It felt safe. In any other situation Anna straddling my hips with her hands covering my mouth might have made me feel very differently, but this clearly wasn't that kind of situation.

By the time Kai returned with a bottle of water and a cloth I had calmed down far enough that Anna had removed her hands from my mouth and I was breathing slow and deep on my own. I was softly rubbing my face and eyes, which felt quite swollen. There was also still a distinct feeling in my entire body, which Anna told me was the adrenaline still coursing through me. "It doesn't just disappear, your body needs to get rid of it. So like last time, prepare to feel a bit weird for a little while."

She got up and helped me to sit up against the tree before sitting down next to me. Kai looked at us for a second, then nodded at Anna. "Do you want me to prepare a new dress, ma'am?"

"Kai, don't be so formal." She looked down on her dark green dress. "Plus, it's grass stains in a green dress. I'm sure it'll be fine." Her eyes moved to my tights. "However maybe a new pair of tights for miss Shields." If I hadn't already had enough blood in my face to cause me to light up like a buoy I would have probably blushed, but now I just nodded at the man. He smiled at me and left.

"Are you feeling better yet?" Anna put her hand on my arm. She had sat down far enough away from me to cause our bodies not to touch, something I regretted.

"Yes, I am. Thanks."

"Come on Elsa, don't lie to me."

I looked at her, her face worried but soft. I sighed and felt tears run down my face again. A slight push and I might go back into panic mode. "Ok, fine." I aggressively rubbed a tear off of my cheek. "Can you just... talk to me? Distract me?"

"Of course, Munchy." She moved closer to me and pulled my head onto her shoulder, my face pressed against her neck. She ran her fingers through my hair softly and slowly. "I guess I owe you a slight explanation."

I felt her sigh and her head moved backwards to lean against the bark of the tree. "My family is an old one. Apparently the Almstedts descend from royalty back in Norway. Some duke or prince shagged a commoner and this offshoot of family was born." I closed my eyes and listened to her heart beating under my ear. It was quite soothing.

"I don't really care that much about my heritage. I'd love to go to Norway someday, because my parents emigrated from there and I apparently spent the first two years of my life there. I speak the language, because my parents do care about my heritage and raised me bilingually, but that's about all I know." She sighed. "I remember they had this friend a long time ago who was also a lawyer, and he and my dad worked..." Her hands halted for a moment before continuing. "I guess that was your dad then."

"Yeah, I guess he was," I said softly. We were both quiet for a minute, letting that information sink in. Then Anna breathed in deeply and continued.

"Anyway, I was obviously very young when your father died. But it had quite an impact on my parents as well. They became so busy with lawyer stuff that they didn't have time for me anymore and decided to ship me off to a private school up North. I absolutely hated it. All nine years I spent in that place, from when I was eight to my seventeenth... I loathed it. Not to mention the internal struggle I had when I realised I was gay. You know how religious my parents are. I've never told them."

She stared ahead for a moment. "When my parents started assuming I'd become a lawyer just like them and I said I didn't want to, I left. It was quite an easy decision to make. I was seventeen though, so my parents still had some control over me. I couldn't tell them where I was going or they'd come after me. I just... left."

"Where'd you go?"

"The first few months after I left home and went into the city were... rough. I was... I was homeless, slept under bridges, was hungry and cold..." I felt her shudder. "I really don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe some other time."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." I felt Anna lean her chin onto my head and I reached out to squeeze her leg softly. Listening to her story occupied me so much that I was starting to forget about my panic attack. _I shouldn't ask about it, it's her business. _I frowned. _But she clearly said she wanted you to pry._ "What got you off the streets?"

"Not what. Who." I felt something wet in my hair and realised Anna was crying. I tried to get up but Anna hugged my head to her shoulder. "Stay," she mumbled. She waited a few seconds before lessening the impressive pressure she exerted on my head. "Mulan. She found me and dragged me to her warehouse. I lived with her for a little while. It took her only a few months to straighten me out and a while later I had finished my high school degree and was accepted into AMU."

_I really need to send that woman some flowers. Or chocolate. Or a house._ "I'm sorry I didn't ask before, Anna. You're right, I was so preoccupied with my own worries I didn't think about yours. I mean I cared, and I was interested, but I felt like I couldn't ask because I was already being such a nuisance with all my issues and then I'd also be prying around in your past..."

Anna took my head between her hands and made me look at her. There were indeed tear tracks on her face, but she was smiling now. "That's okay Munchy. I get it." She kissed my forehead gently. "We both messed up." I raised my eyebrows and she giggled, blushing slightly. "When you started talking about your business partners I should've asked. I mean, there are a ton of lawyers in this city, but I shouldn't have just assumed they weren't my parents. Especially seeing you never named them." She let go of my face and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around it. "Still, it's a bloody big coinkidink that things played out this way."

"Yeah, it wasn't really what I expected when I came out here tonight. And me not naming them was just a messed up attempt not to drag you down into my troubles too much." _You still haven't told her about what happened in the theme park. But hell if I'm going to bring that up now._

A noise made us both look up. Kai appeared on the clearing. "Your parents are a bit worried, Anna. If you don't come back to the house soon they'll come out looking for you."

I frowned. "How did you even know we were here before?"

The man blinked. "Well you two were yelling at each other quite loudly so I decided to stay nearby just in case. And then when I heard you screaming..."

"I screamed?"

Anna looked at me. "Yeah Munchy, you let out quite a bloodcurdling noise. Hopefully my parents were too busy blabbing Kristoff's ears off to have noticed." _So that faint scream I heard was actually... me? Damn._ I saw Anna frown. "Why did you even ask him to be your boyfriend? Couldn't you have just come alone?"

"Don't be mad at him. I asked him. Your mom noticed us texting each other last week and assumed it was a boy, so she insisted I bring him along."

Anna stood up and brushed off her dress with her hands. There were a few faint stains on it, but she was right - they were barely visible. Kai was still standing a bit away from us "Thanks, Kai. We're coming." The man left and Anna held out her hand to me. "So, what have we been talking about?"

I took her hand and let her pull me to my feet. I swayed for a second, my energy drained from the panic attack, but Anna took my arm and we started walking. "What do you mean?"

"Well I kind of panicked and pretended like I didn't know you and Kristoff at all, right?"

"Yes. I already wondered why you didn't just pretend we knew each other from somewhere else."

"I'm quite quick on my feet usually, but... this was a bit of a shocker." She laughed and I enjoyed the sound. "Anyway, let's just say I've been telling you about medical school, okay? That's all you know about me for now."

"This is going to be quite an interesting dinner." I shook my head and inhaled deeply, enjoying the cold winter air in my lungs. I realised Anna was probably freezing.

"Just do me a favour and don't start kissing Kristoff, okay? He'd never let me live it down and I'd be forced to kill him."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cringe, so instead I changed the subject. "Hey Anna?"

"Hm?"

"What did you mean when you yelled that I had to stop being so perfect?" It had bothered me a bit because I had no idea what she had meant. It seemed very out of place in the argument we were having. _Stop thinking about the fight, you'll spiral down again._

Anna let go of my arm and walked beside me for a while, visibly thinking. I allowed her some time but when we reached the house and walked in front of the windows I looked at her. She saw me and smiled sadly. "Don't you see? My parents love you. Up until this day they've been telling me I'm a failure." We reached the doors, where Kai was waiting with a chubby, round-faced woman. She beckoned me over, but I looked at Anna. She just stepped through the doors and looked back at me. "You're the daughter they wished me to be." She turned away and quickly moved down the hallway. Kai looked at me with a sad expression on his face.

"Please miss Shields, follow Gerda. She'll clean you up."

* * *

"Elsa dear, did you change tights?" I was led into the dining room by Gerda, whom I'd gotten to know as a very friendly motherly figure who wanted nothing more than to talk about everything and everyone. It was all small talk though, and I had the feeling it was because she and Kai knew exactly what was going on between me, Anna and her parents. She managed to talk about the weather for the entire time it took me to change, clean up my face and apply some new make-up.

"Anna was showing me around the garden and I tripped. Silly me." I looked around. The dining room was beautiful. The floor was white marble and the walls and ceiling were painted white as well, with wide moulding on the edges and intricate patterns etched into the ceiling. A large table that could easily fit twenty people sat in the middle of the room, covered by a red table cloth which made the table stick out immensely against the white of the room. A silver chandelier hung from the ceiling and was complemented by silver candlesticks and silverware on the table. There even were two flower pieces. _They really went all out for this dinner, didn't they._

Kristoff was sitting at the table, seemingly quite relaxed. He stood up as I approached him and pulled back my seat. I was so surprised I almost laughed at him, but instead I let him help me into my seat and put my hand on his arm as a thank you. Anna, who sat down across from us at the table, shot us a look that showed she was amused and annoyed at the same time.

"Mr. Almstedt used to hunt a lot with your father, Elsa." He was sitting to my right, with both of Anna's parents sitting at the head of the table to my far right, so he used the moment he was looking at me to ask a question with his eyes. _How do you tell him what he needs to know without letting Anna's parents know?_

"Anna showed me around the gardens, it was lovely. She told me all about medical school, it sounds fascinating." _Wait, if he told them he's in medical school this might go wrong. Oh shit, what did I say?_

"Kristoff, I told you to call me Agdar. Please. And speaking of university, you never told me what you do for a living, son." _Son? Really?_ I shot a look at Anna, who had her hands folded in her lap and seemed to be studying her silverware. _This is really going to be a long evening._

Kristoff took my hand in his and put them on the table. "Well I am unemployed at the moment, but I really want to find a job. It doesn't feel right to live off of my girlfriend like this, you understand."

Idunn smiled warmly. "How did you two meet?"

Kristoff looked at me but I drew a blank. "Go ahead honey, you tell them," I said sweetly. I saw a muscle in Kristoff's face twitch for a second and despite the heavy atmosphere I had to suppress a chuckle. _Sorry, Kristoff._

"It's a cool story, actually." Kristoff took a sip of his water. There was also a glass of wine for all of us but I had the feeling neither me or Kristoff wanted to be drinking that night. "I met Elsa in a book store. I was looking for new sheet music for my guitar - did you know I own a Martin?"

"Really? That's a beautiful instrument, how did you get that? Is it mahogany?" Agdar was visibly impressed, but Anna wasn't.

"Yeah Kristoff, where did you get that amazing guitar from?" she asked with a steel expression on her face as she took a rather large gulp of her wine. "You being unemployed and all that."

"Anna, don't be rude." Idunn didn't even look at her daughter as she said it.

Kristoff smiled warmly. "That's OK. I inherited it, actually." Before Anna could interject again he quickly continued. "As I was saying, I was looking for sheet music and I saw Elsa sitting there." He looked at me, smiling warmly. The loving look he was giving me seemed quite sincere and it was making me slightly uncomfortable, but I didn't want to let on so I just smiled back at him. "She had her hair down just like now and she was reading a very boring-looking book."

I quickly latched onto the story. "Actually it was Criminalistics from Richard Saferstein." I hadn't actually read it yet, but I really wanted to buy it so the lie came out quite easily. "I was thinking about buying it and wanted to see whether it'd be worth the money."

"You didn't end up buying it though," Kristoff laughed. I glanced over at Idunn and Agdar, who were listening to the story with tender expressions on their faces. I didn't even want to look at Anna. "I asked her if she wanted to get a cup of coffee, and she did. That's the whole story, really." He leaned over and gave me a small kiss on my forehead. I had to do my very best not to look shocked.

"Oh look at her Agdar, she's blushing. You two look really good together." _Wow, he's really good at this. Maybe me and Anna can just keep our mouths shut the entire evening and Kristoff can talk us through dinner._

"Anna, did Elsa tell you about her work as a lawyer?" _Okay, never mind._ Idunn looked at her daughter, who was blushing slightly. I had the feeling it wasn't from embarrassment however, as the redness spread across her neck and shoulders more than just her cheeks.

"No Idunn, she didn't. She was interested in my work in the hospital, actually." I wasn't surprised she called her parents by their first names, but it did widen the already large rift between them.

"She must have told you something about her work." I glanced at the woman. I felt very conflicted. On the one hand I had really enjoyed being around these people, working with them on the takeover, but now that I had heard Anna's side of the story...

"Oh, like you tell me everything." She glared at her parents. "Actually... Elsa did tell me something." I was surprised but managed to hide it. Kristoff squeezed my hand softly, probably trying to remind me to keep acting like nothing was going on.

Agdar put his hand on his wife's lower arm, probably for the same reason Kristoff had squeezed mine. "What did Elsa tell you, dear?"

"When were you planning on telling me your company was being assimilated?"

"That's not what it's called, Anna. It's..."

"I don't care what it's called! You didn't tell me!" Anna sat back in her chair, crossing her arms.

Idunn cleared her throat. "Anna. We weren't sure what was going to happen to the company and you didn't seem that interested. We just figured we'd tell you when we knew for sure what was going on."

Agdar raised his voice slightly. "Ladies, please. Idunn, Anna. We have guests." Both women fell silent but I could clearly see the discussion wasn't over yet. The air was so thick I felt like I could cut it with a knife.

After throwing a look at his daughter that seemed to hold a warning, Agdar turned to me. "So Elsa, what part of the garden did you enjoy most? Did Anna show you the pond?"

"No, but I saw your large oak. It's rather beautiful, the way it's lit up." _Just small talk. I can do this._

"Yes, it really is, isn't it? It's quite old, it was here long before the house was built. No-one really knows how old it is, but it must be a few hundred years don't you think?"

Anna licked her lips. I glanced at her and hoped she wouldn't start an argument again. I understood her frustration, I really did - but I still had large traces of the panic attack in my system and didn't need more excitement right now.

"Anna, will you stop sulking please?" I had to resist the urge to groan at Idunn's comment. _Are you looking for a fight with your daughter? Because this is how you get one._

Anna opened her mouth, looking almost furious - but then the doors to the dining room opened and Gerda came in pushing a trolley with what looked like hot pies. Kristoff immediately piped up. "Oh look, the pie!" Agdar shot him a thankful look and turned himself to Gerda.

"That looks wonderful, Gerda. What did you make for us this evening?"

"Well, these are all vegetable hot pies with cheese." She gestured to another large plate. "These ones have beef in them. I know how much Anna used to love these when she was young, so I thought..." The chubby woman smiled affectionately at the redhead and I could see Anna relax a bit. _Thanks, Gerda._

We actually managed to get through the pies without any more arguments and were almost done with the next course, which consisted of salmon with cream and asparagus. Kristoff had started discussing music with Agdar and Idunn kept her eyes fixed on her plate, not unlike me. Even Anna kept her mouth shut.

"So, Elsa." I looked at Agdar, who seemed a lot perkier after discussing his passion for jazz music with Kristoff. "I don't want to talk about work all evening, don't get me wrong, but I was wondering whether you heard back from the board yet. Me and Idunn have been quite tense over the past days."

Kristoff scoffed, immediately followed by a cough. "I'm sorry, something in my throat." I gently hit him between the shoulder blades, but I knew there was nothing wrong with his throat. I could almost hear him say it. _Tense? Try being threatened by some dude and being stupid enough not to tell the cops._

"No, I haven't heard back yet. But I'm sure they'll let me know soon, this is not a decision they want to postpone too long."

"Well, me and my husband have been thinking." Idunn looked at Agdar affectionately. "This whole business has drained our funds to an extent that our company is done for anyway. There's no doubt that we'll be part of your company soon." I resisted the urge to glance at Anna. _Please don't speak up, let this slide._ "So we were thinking that your first order of business as CEO should be merging our companies, rather than just taking us over."

I smiled. "I'm sure we'll figure something out. But let's wait until I hear back from the board before making decisions like that, OK?"

Agdar nodded. "Of course, you're right." He clapped his hands. "Well then, shall we retreat to the lounge to enjoy a drink?"

Anna sighed. "Actually Agdar, I think I might leave soon."

"Don't be ridiculous Anna. Have a drink with us. Gerda has already prepared your room for tonight."

"I'm not staying the night," Anna said incredulously.

Idunn sighed. "Of course you are. I'm not bringing you back to the city tonight."

"Fine, I'll ride with Elsa and Kristoff."

"Ikke vær frekk, Anna!" I looked at Idunn, confused for a moment before I realised she was probably speaking Norwegian. "Du kan ikke anta noe sånt."

"Who's the one being rude, Idunn? Speak English so they can understand what you're talking about."

"Ikke flau våre gjester!" Idunn put her hands down on the table so hard I jumped a little. Kristoff put his hand on my arm.

"Maybe we should leave them for a moment, Elsa. Dear." He got up and I followed him. Agdar seemed to be trying to calm the situation and stood up.

"Vennligst stoppe roping. La oss prøve å komme gjennom kvelden."

Gerda came through the door with a plate in her hands. On the plate was a large, round and clearly homemade cheesecake. It even had a candle sticking out of it. I frowned and then suddenly realised. _Right, they think it's Kristoff's birthday._ I felt tears burning in my eyes again. _They made him a cake. A birthday cake._

The round-faced woman beckoned us over while Idunn and Anna were getting up as well, both speaking in rapid Norwegian. Kristoff and I walked towards Gerda but I was reluctant to leave. For some reason I didn't want to abandon Anna, but this was clearly between the three of them.

"Gerda, I'm so sorry. Did you make this?" I asked in a low voice. The woman smiled crookedly.

"Yes, dear. It was for your... boyfriend." She looked at Kristoff. "But I'm guessing that's not exactly the story here. Is it even your birthday?"

"My birthday?" Kristoff looked incredulously from Gerda to me and back. I pressed a hand over my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, the both of you. Everything just went wrong tonight."

The woman threw glances past me at the family behind us. She then smiled sadly at me. "That's okay, dear. Are you Anna's friends from the city?"

Kristoff put his hand on my arm. "Yes we are. We care greatly for her, this is all just a huge mix-up. Elsa and I didn't know we were on our way to Anna's parents."

The woman sighed and moved back from the doorway, putting the cake down inside a cardboard box that was sitting on a table outside. "Well will you at least take the cake with you?" Her eyes shone as she looked up at me. It made me realise this woman was small, shorter than Anna even. "Maybe you can share it with..."

I suddenly heard Anna's voice from behind me. "Slutte å late du er min mor!" It was immediately followed by a sharp sound and when I swerved around I saw Anna clutching her face with Idunn's hand still in the air. Kristoff's hand closed itself tightly around my arm and pulled me against him.

"Don't, Elsa," he whispered in my ear.

Anna turned around and strode towards us, her cheek red and tears in her eyes. We locked eyes and when she passed me it took all my self-control not to yell at Idunn and Agdar, or wrap my arms around Anna to comfort her. Instead I cleared my throat. "I think it's best if we continue this another time?" I heard Anna's footsteps remove themselves from the scene, first walking but then running.

Idunn buried her face in her hands and sat back down in her chair. Agdar moved to put his hand on her shoulder but reconsidered and brought it to his neck instead. "I'm really sorry about all of this, Elsa. It's not how I wanted you to see my family."

"I'll offer Anna a lift back into town," I said curtly. I managed to keep my voice calm though, something I was quite proud of.

"I'd really appreciate that. Otherwise she'll probably end up trying to walk back."

Kristoff gently tugged on my arm. "Elsa, let's go."

* * *

We found Anna waiting at the car, leaning back onto the hood. She was staring down at the gravel and when Kristoff and me approached the car she just moved to the rear door, her hand on the handle. I unlocked the car and she immediately got in.

Me and Kristoff exchanged a glance which relayed both our levels of frustration perfectly. Kristoff was very protective of Anna as well and I knew he probably felt the same way I did. However we didn't speak as we sat down, buckled up and pulled out of the driveway. I did wave at Kai and Gerda, who were standing in the doorway. _It must be quite hard on them as well._ Gerda had said Anna liked a certain type of hot pie when she was young, and Anna had told me she had been shipped off to private school at an early age, which meant the woman had been employed by the Almstedts for a long time.

"That went well," Kristoff said. I resisted the urge to slap him, because I knew he was just trying to alleviate the pressure of the situation. And people being slapped was a bit of a touchy subject at the moment.

It was quiet for another long moment. As soon as the car broke free of the trees I heard Anna sobbing quietly. I looked at her in the rear view mirror for a moment and wondered whether I should say something, but decided against the notion.

Kristoff was staring out the window, his hand under his chin and the other one holding the cake box in his lap. I did my best to keep my focus on the road. There was a lot to think about, but in all honesty thinking was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"Do you mind making a small detour for me?" Kristoff said.

I looked at him. "Sure, no problem. Where to?"

"Well I promised Sven I wouldn't be home until a lot later. Apparently he has a date back at the apartment." I raised my eyebrows, surprised, but a glance in the rear view mirror told me Anna hadn't moved a muscle.

"I didn't know Sven had a girlfriend."

Kristoff looked at me with a smirk on his face. "He doesn't."

It took me only a few seconds to figure it out. _Well, for someone who had never met a gay person three weeks ago I'm learning quickly_. "I didn't know Sven was gay."

Kristoff laughed out loud now. "He's not."

I looked at Sven. "Then what is he?"

"He just loves people. I guess you could say he's bi, but... he doesn't like the word." The boy shrugged.

"So you're the only straight one amongst us?" I asked with a smile.

"Yup. But Anna is the only real gay one. Sven had a girlfriend before this, but Anna chased her off."

"She was mean." I looked in the rear view mirror at Anna, who had curled herself up against the door, her forehead pressed against the window. Her eyes were red and swollen and her cheek looked a bit puffy, but otherwise she seemed OK.

"She wasn't mean. Not smart either. But she meant well." He turned to me. "She told Sven he didn't need me and Anna to be happy, that he spent too much time being around us. I think she was just trying to get him to try and build a life on his own, but Sven really needs people around him."

"Especially you," Anna said from the backseat.

_Can I ask? Well I won't know that unless I ask._ "Kristoff, if you don't mind me asking. You said you met Sven in the foster system? I was just wondering, with all our weird pasts..." I attempted a smile, keeping one eye on the road and another one on the rear view mirror. I didn't want to set Anna off, but she seemed fine.

"Well it's like Anna said, we all have stories. I think that's why we work so well as friends, none of us judge each other or trivialise each other's problems because we all have our own as well." He folded his hands behind his head, balancing the cake on his knees. "I told you that I had two families, right? First I lived with my Pabbie, who was an awesome guy. He was old, so when he had raised me from the age of two up to twelve he died of a heart attack. I was devastated because it didn't only mean I lost the only dad I'd ever known, but I also had to be placed into a new family.

"It all turned out good though. I was placed into this family which already had another foster child, Sven. He'd been with them for years already but he had this thing where he didn't speak. He'd never say a word and people would judge him for it. 'Why don't you just speak, you stupid or something?'". Kristoff accentuated the words with his hands, causing me to glance at the cake every now and then. "Of course those kids never bothered him again after I'd had a talk with them." I saw a faint smile on Anna's lips. She undoubtedly already knew the story, but still enjoyed hearing it.

"We hit it off, Sven and me. I learned to read his expressions and stuff and after about a year I just talked for him. He's younger than me though, so when I finally got him talking it was just in time for him to go to high school."

"How'd you get him to talk?"

"By never expecting him to. I was willing to spend the rest of my life being his voice and I was fine with that. Other people always pressured him into speaking but I didn't care." He laughed. "You know what the first thing was he ever said to me? He told me to shut up. Those were his first words. 'Kristoff, shut up.' Of course his speech was a bit off because he hadn't talked for so long, but it was amazing."

We were speeding down the freeway now and we were gaining on the city quite fast. "Hey Kristoff, where did you want me to drop you off?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. The pub or something. Wherever I can waste some time."

"We can go to my place. Watch a movie or something like that."

I saw Anna throwing me a glance, an understanding smirk on her face. She remembered our argument as well. Kristoff was rather oblivious however. "I've never been there. Anna?"

"Anna hasn't been there either," I said. "Okay, let's do that then. I don't really have any food though. We'd have to stop on the way over there."

Kristoff looked over his shoulder. "Anna, at what time does your shift start tomorrow?"

"I got a tenner."

Kristoff turned back to me with a grin on his face. "Movie night it is."

* * *

**/Now, I'm not going to put the translations of the Norwegian down here. Why? Because it's written in the first person from Elsa and Elsa has no idea what they're saying so why should you? Anyway, if you really want to know, send me a PM and I'll explain. But remember, Elsa is just as confused as you (probably) are...**


	13. Chapter 13: The vodka

**/Slight hiatus, sorry about that. Had a bit of a writing block and I've been switching to a zero-carb diet, so my energy has been really bad the past days. Besides that I had to miss two funerals because I'm on the other side of the world at the moment and I've been feeling like general crap for a while now. Anyway. Not that you guys care about my personal issues :P  
/You guys and your fluff requests! Whenever I post a chapter the next one (or two) has (or have) already been finished so you can't influence me! Mwuahaha!**

* * *

**Chapter 13  
**The vodka

As soon as I opened the door to my apartment I heard Max and Sitron complaining loudly. I pushed the door open and quickly walked inside so the cats would follow me and not get in the way of Anna or Kristoff, who was carrying the cake and a brown paper bag.

Anna shot past the blonde and moved over to pet the cats, but stopped mid-movement. She looked up and around. "Holy shit Elsa, this place is amazing."

Kristoff whistled softly. "And that's one hell of a tv." He rustled the paper bag. "Can I put this on the counter? Won't it scratch or something?"

I laughed uncomfortably, my face red. "Just put it anywhere, I don't really care." Actually I did, but I wasn't going to be _that_ woman who complained about muddy boots on the floor. _Oh shit their shoes aren't muddy, are they?_

I gathered our coats and put them on the hangers next to the door. I was tempted to ask them to take their shoes off, but instead I just took mine off and put them neatly next to my other pairs. As soon as the other two noticed they quickly moved over to take their shoes off as well. I smiled.

"Can I have a look around, Munchy?" I nodded. Anna had started feeling better when I had let her pick out a few things in the store and her mood had improved even more when Kristoff had let her pick the movie. I had to admit it felt good being on the other end of the caretaking for a change.

I bent down and picked up Sitron while Max padded over to Kristoff to smell his jeans. The boy had just started emptying the bag, but now squatted down to let the cat sniff his hand. "Careful," I said. "He sometimes scratches people he doesn't know."

To my surprise however, Max licked Kristoff's hand and the boy scooped the cat up, propping it up on his shoulder. "Don't be silly, we're best buddies. Me and..."

"Max."

"Me and Max! See, it even alliterates." I looked on with something that resembled both shock and amusement when Max curled himself up on Kristoff's broad shoulders, seemingly quite content with this new high ground he discovered.

"Munchy!" The shout made me swerve around swiftly, my stomach hitching and Sitron digging his claws into my lower arm. Nothing turned out to be wrong though when Anna came running out of the bathroom with a big grin on her face. "You have a bathtub!"

"Yes, that's... a sharp observation," I said slowly.

"I love baths!"

I laughed. "Well you're welcome to have one whenever you want. I don't really use it." Anna came over to the kitchen and sat down on one of the wooden stools that took up one side of my kitchen island. I put Sitron back down on the floor and walked into my kitchen, stepping onto the slightly raised platform. I opened the large fridge behind Anna.

"Hand me those, will you?" Anna took the several bottles of alcohol and other groceries that needed to be put in the fridge and handed them to me one by one. When she was done she leaned backwards onto the kitchen island, looking at me trying to mash a bottle of limoncello into the freezer. It was ridiculously small compared to the fridge and was mostly filled with frozen pizza, vegetables and ice cream.

"Do you do much cooking in here?" Anna followed me with her eyes as I walked around the island to the other side. There was a stove on the island itself but the counters against the wall were just that, counters and shelves. They made up a U-shape around the kitchen island and had dark granite counter tops. My kitchen was basically just way too big for me.

I took a few glasses and a bowl from the cupboards. "Not that much. I don't like cooking just for myself. I once made a big Christmas dinner in here though. It was nice."

Anna turned and leaned onto the counter, her green dress quite low on her chest. I wasn't sure whether she noticed, but I certainly did as I let my eyes linger on her freckled shoulders for a moment. "Oh, for whom?"

I paused for a moment, the bowl still in my hands, before I put it down on the counter and processed the girl's words. "Colleagues."

Kristoff left the preparations to me and moved to my bookshelves, running his fingers over a few spines. Anna looked at him for a moment before turning her eyes back on me. "No more lying or circling the truth, Elsa."

I had already learned that whenever Anna used my real name, she meant business. I sighed whilst grabbing three small plates from another shelf. "I'm not lying. Holter was here and a couple of other people from the office. It was awkward, but nice."

"That's your boss's name?"

I put the three plates on the counter and took a large knife from a wooden block. "Holter? Yeah, that's his name."

"What's up with us and names? Honestly, are there other names I need to hear or know about?"

I pulled Gerda's cake towards me and smiled. "Not unless you have siblings or uncles I might be working with." I had meant it as a joke but Anna's face fell. I had just opened the box to cut all of us a slice of cake, but now I faltered and put the knife on the counter. And then I remembered. "Idunn said on the phone she raised her children in that house, not just one."

Anna sighed and smiled humourlessly. "Yeah that'd be my sister Ylva." She looked up and saw my worried face. Her eyes went wide and she quickly raised her hands. "She's fine, she's fine! Wow, we've had enough drama for one night, thank you. My sister is fine, she went to live in Norway six years ago. She's visited once since then."

"Ok, that's good to hear. That she's alive and everything. Damn, you had me worried for a second." I picked the knife back up and sliced through the cake. "So you haven't seen her in a while? I guess you miss her?"

"Tremendously, yeah." I heard the sarcasm in her voice but chose to ignore it. She tilted her head back far enough to see the fridge. "Is the booze cold yet?"

Kristoff sat down on the couch, Max still on his shoulder. The boy had a book in his hand and had been reading it, but now looked up. "You'll get equally drunk if you drink it lukewarm, Anna."

"That's an excellent point, my dear man." She turned around on her stool and opened the fridge. "I vote vodka."

I put down the knife and shoved one of the plates to Anna. "I vote cake."

We all had a slice of cake (or two) and had started on vodka cola. Kristoff made the mixes and the smell alone told me they were quite strong. I wasn't halfway through my first one when Anna was pouring herself a third. "Oh! I have an idea!" she yelled. We were all sitting at the kitchen island on our stools, a bowl of crisps in between us.

"Having a glass of water?" Kristoff laughed, eyeing the amount of vodka Anna was pouring into her glass.

Anna waved away his notion with her hand, spilling some vodka on the counter with her other one. _I'm glad we're drinking over here and not over at the rug_. "Don't be silly, Kristoff. No, I thought with how much we've been learning about each other today, we should play never have I ever!"

Kristoff moaned but I hadn't heard of the game. I was afraid of what it might entail though. Kristoff saw my face. "It's when we all take turns saying something we've never done. If you have done it, you have to take a drink. So for example, never have I ever kissed a girl."

"Oh I've done that!" Anna took a swig of her vodka and made a scrunched up face. "Didn't add the coke yet," she giggled.

I frowned. "I'm not sure I want to play this game." It wasn't that I was afraid I'd done stuff the other hadn't, I was mostly afraid of the opposite.

Kristoff shrugged. "You'll be fine. Just cheat."

I didn't like cheating however so when we were all set with filled glasses in front of us and Kristoff launched us off by repeating his first question, I took a drink, immediately coughing. "Damnit Anna, did you just add vodka to my half filled glass?" The girl just giggled and I reached for the coke, but she moved it away from my hand.

"Oh come one, that's no fun." _Fine, I'll just make sure I don't drink too much then._ Anna was next. "Never have I ever... had sex." Both her and Kristoff took a swig, then noticed I didn't. Anna turned red. "Oh I'm sorry Munchy, I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's usually the first one when you start playing this game."

Kristoff nodded his head at me, indicating it was my turn. I internally thanked him for not joking about it. "Never have I ever..." I thought for a second. The game wasn't that hard to understand... and easy to rig. I smiled. "Never have I ever had sex in a bed." Anna laughed loudly and she and Kristoff took a drink.

Kristoff chuckled as he put his glass down. "See, you're getting it. But now it's war. Never have I ever studied law." Anna punched him in the shoulder, saying something about how that was way too specific and not fair, but I dutifully took a swig of my strong drink. I was surprised when Anna suddenly punched Kristoff on the shoulder again, this time harder. The boy rubbed his arm. "What was that for?!" he yelled incredulously.

"That's for kissing my girlfriend, you asshole." Anna took the vodka bottle and topped off her and Kristoff's glasses before taking her own turn.

"Never have I ever been in a foster home," she sneered.

I laughed as Kristoff took a swig, glaring at Anna. I raised my hand. "Okay, okay, no more of that stuff. Uhm..." Both of them were looking at me and I tried to think up something good. "Never have I ever held a gun." I expectantly raised my eyebrows but was surprised when Anna actually took a swig.

She put down her glass and looked at our faces. "What? I've done some stupid stuff in the past."

Kristoff raised his eyebrows. "You always got angry when I asked about your past, but now..." He cocked his head. "Never have I ever been locked up for more than a night." Anna took a drink. _Okay, this might get either very interesting, or very dangerous very soon._

Anna looked at Kristoff. "Never have I ever been in jail for more than two nights." All glasses remained on the table. _Okay phew, that's good to know at least. And I guess she wanted us to know too._

I licked my lips nervously. Did I want to stay on this topic? Maybe if I took it away from Anna a bit. "Never have I ever busted someone out of jail." I winked at Anna as I took my drink. _Wait, did I wink? Okay, I've already had more than I thought._

Kristoff opened his mouth but I silenced him. "I think that's enough of this game."

Anna looked at me, a bit disappointed. "But we've barely started!" She set her glass down on the counter and hopped of the seat. However she had misjudged the distance to the ground and she tripped on her dress, causing her to grab Kristoff in order to stay on her feet. Luckily the boy managed to stay on his seat.

"I'm going to take a bath!" Anna suddenly declared. "Oooh it's going to be amazing." She half walked, half ran to the bathroom. Kristoff followed her with his eyes, smiling.

"I think Anna's had enough vodka for one night."

I took the last swig from my own drink. "Yeah I think that's enough for me too."

Kristoff moaned and rested his head on his arms. "Why do I always drink with such lightweights? I don't want to drink on my own but I'm barely buzzed!"

I laughed and reached to a high shelf to grab myself a small glass. "I'll have a limoncello then. Want one?"

"What the fuck is limoncello?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I'll show you."

I had barely nipped my drink, moaning lightly when my favourite drink touched my lips, when I heard Anna calling for me. I frowned whilst licking my lips and looked at the bathroom door, which was slightly open. I glanced at Kristoff. "What does she want?"

He shrugged. "Go and see."

"What if she's naked?"

Kristoff smirked at me, but when he saw I was serious his smile faltered. "Then, well, she's naked. But you've seen naked women before. Right?" He then winked at me. "Plus, if you don't go, I'll have to."

Anna's voice came from the bathroom again, calling my name. I bit my lip. "Oh, fine." I got up and moved over to the door. I waited for a second with my hand on the handle before peering in through a small opening.

Anna was wrestling with her dress, trying to take it off. I smiled, relieved. However a small part of me was a bit disappointed. _Don't think like that, Elsa._ I entered the bathroom and closed the door behind me. "Anna stop struggling, you'll rip it." I moved over to her and Anna stopped moving, a few strands of hair loose down her face.

"Stupid dress. My mom made me wear it. I don't even care if it rips."

"Don't be like that Anna, it's a beautiful dress." I searched for the zipper and found it on her back.

"Well, you can have it." She patiently waited, her back towards me while I held the zipper. "Is it stuck?" she asked.

My mouth went slightly dry. _There are no bra straps. What if she's not wearing a bra under this?_ Anna asked once again whether the zipper was stuck. "Uh yeah, hold on." I lowered the zipper slightly, revealing nothing but skin so far. _Her shoulders. Look at how many freckles she has. There are even a few on her shoulder blades._ I forgot what I was doing for a moment and took my hand off of the zipper to run my finger over the large amount of freckles. I felt Anna's skin tremble slightly under my touch and I jumped.

"Sorry Anna, I just..." I moved my hand to the zipper again but Anna turned around. There was something in her eyes that I had seen once before, the one time we kissed in her room a little over two weeks ago. She raised her hands to my blouse and played with the fabric, running her fingers across the neckline. It made my breath hitch but I took her hands in mine and lowered them gently.

"Anna, you're drunk." I could feel it in my own head as well, the speed with which I had drunk the vodka was backfiring.

"So what?" Anna said. She twisted one of her hands free from my grasp and brought it up to my face. _That's what you get for dating a martial artist, Elsa._ "I like your face like this. When you're not all fancied up, just wearing a little bit of make-up... it's better than when you're trying to impress everyone." She followed the line of my jaw with her forefinger, then put her thumb underneath my mouth. She squeezed my chin lightly whilst stepping closer to me, her other hand and mine trapped between our bodies.

My heart was thumping in my chest and Anna could feel it, I knew that. It felt like my entire body was buzzing and I could feel Anna trembling slightly as well. She raised her head and put her free hand on my neck so as to draw me in for a kiss, but I resisted.

"Anna, stop. Please." _She's clearly not herself, this is wrong. I don't want this. _I stepped back to free my hands and looked down at Anna, the hurt so clear in her eyes it cut off my breath.

Suddenly Anna's eyes filled with tears and I had to resist the urge to take another step back when she let out a scream of pure frustration. She almost doubled over and I extended my hands, wanting to do something - but she shot back up, rage apparent on her face. "Don't you like me?" she yelled. "Why don't you like me?"

I wanted to say something, but it was quite clear to me that it wasn't me she was yelling at right now. I heard Kristoff's footsteps coming closer but they stopped outside the door and I knew he was listening in case I needed his help.

"I dressed up for you! I let you put this fucking dress on me, I let you put my hair into this ridiculous bun..." She raised her hands and started pulling at her hair, removing the band that held it together. She threw it at the floor. She looked at me, but her eyes weren't focused. Her make-up was starting to run and I wanted to go over to her, to take her in my arms, but I wasn't sure whether that was what she needed right now. I had no clue what I was supposed to do, so I froze.

"Why can't you just love me for who I am? Fuck Ylva and her fucking husband, fuck her two kids... That's not me! That'll never be me! But I do good things too! I save lives! I'm a good friend!" She took a step aside and flung her fist at the wall, making me flinch. "You didn't even come over when Mulan invited you. Do you even care about me?!" She punched the wall again, her voice becoming raw from yelling.

_Okay this is going very wrong._ I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but I was very sure I didn't want Anna to hurt herself in her drunken frenzy. And when Anna launched her fist at the wall a third time and I saw blood on the tile, I did the only thing I could think of.

I stepped in between Anna and the wall before she could throw another punch and tried to pull her against me. "No, let me go!" She hit me on the chest a few times but I didn't let go and kept on pulling her struggling body closer to mine until I was hugging her against me, my arms wrapped tight around her shoulders.

I felt her body go limp as she started crying and finally gave up the fight. I couldn't support her weight in the way I was holding her so we ended up on the floor, Anna crying into my blouse and me still hugging her close to me. "Why can't you just love me?" Anna sobbed against me. I was crying as well, rocking us back and forth and pressing kisses to her hair.

"I love you, Anna. I really do. I think you're beautiful and smart... Who cares that you're not your sister, you're amazing just being yourself." _So this is what happens when Anna loses control._ In all honesty it had been quite frightening. I heard the door open softly and Kristoff looked inside, his face pale. He saw us sitting there and then looked up at the wall. "Kristoff, she hurt herself."

The boy saw Anna's hand, covered in blood, and nodded. "Do you have a first aid kit or something?"

"In one of the kitchen cupboards. I'll get her cleaned up a bit and bring her out to you." Kristoff left, closing the door. I shut my eyes and let Anna cry a bit longer. She had stopped muttering and now the sobs started to die out as well, until the only sounds she was making were short inhales as her breath hitched.

I unwrapped my arms from around her and she sat on her own, on her knees. I reached over to undo her dress and found a strapless bra, but all of those thoughts seemed a universe away now. I helped her out of her dress and led her over to the shower in her underwear. I was focused on her face and hair and didn't even look at the rest of her body. Not only did it seem inappropriate, it was far from the forefront of my mind at the moment. I turned the water on, a lot warmer than I was used to myself. I knew Anna didn't like the cold as much as I did. The redhead leaned heavily on my arm as if she was half asleep, but I figured that was a combination of the alcohol and the exhaustion from her outburst.

The running water seemed to do the girl good and she brought her uninjured hand up to her face to clean off the remainders of her make-up. She opened her eyes and shot me an apologetic look. I could see her eyes were clear again so I turned away and moved over to sit on the edge of the tub, my back towards the shower. I waited until I heard the water stop and then closed my eyes, listening to Anna move over to the stack of towels on a shelf to my left, passing in front of me.

"I'm covered up," Anna's voice came out. I opened my eyes and smiled at Anna, who had wrapped two small towels around herself. Her underwear hung over the side of the tub.

"You could've grabbed a large one." I took a large towel from the shelf and tossed it at her. I quickly turned around so she could swap them around.

"I didn't know you had two sizes," she mumbled.

It felt like the alcohol had left my system. Anna was a lot clearer as well, but not quite - she wasn't yet able to walk in a straight line, but at least her mind seemed clear. I pointed her to the bedroom and told her she could borrow some of my clothes before I moved over to sit with Kristoff on the couch. The boy looked at me. "Do you think..."

I rubbed my temples with my fingers. "Kristoff, please. Not now." I felt my hands tremble slightly and I sighed deeply. Max tried climbing back onto the blonde's shoulders but he pushed the cat away. Sitron was sitting in a corner of the room, looking a bit insulted by the number of loud strangers in his house.

Anna came walking into the room wearing my sweatpants and a sweater. She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I got some blood on your towel and sweater... and on a shirt in your closet when I reached up to grab this stuff."

"It's okay, I'll just put it in water later. Come over here and let Kristoff take care of your hand." Anna moved over and sat down on the red rug besides the coffee table. Kristoff had prepared a few things and spread them out on the counter. Anna put her hand on the table and I cringed.

Almost the entire top of her hand was blue and swollen and the skin on her knuckles had burst in several places. Blood kept seeping out slowly as I stared at it, a slight tingling around my mouth. I wasn't used to blood and injuries. Of course I'd cut myself cooking on occasion, but that wasn't anything a band aid couldn't fix. This was something else completely.

"Shit, Anna." Kristoff sighed and took some kitchen towel to dab away the excess blood. The girl cringed slightly. "You might've broken it this time."

"This time?" I asked immediately, my voice high. "Sorry," I said right after.

Anna kept her mouth shut, so Kristoff answered. "She's done this once before. Only that time she just punched through the drywall. Your wall is tiled concrete, it's a lot tougher." He looked at the wound up close. "You've bled enough, no need to disinfect it." He then got up and walked to the freezer. He took out a bag of frozen peas. "Mind if I use this?" I shook my head so the boy walked back to Anna. He wrapped a few layers of kitchen towel around the bag and then gently put it on Anna's hand. "I can't bandage it when it's that swollen." He looked at Anna with a mix of pain and affection in his eyes. "You moron."

We watched the movie Anna had picked in silence, even though it was a comedy. By the time we finished it, it was past 1 AM so we decided Kristoff would take the couch. He first bandaged Anna's hand up before curling himself into a sleeping bag I owned. No need to tell him I only owned it because my brother had the nasty tendency to randomly show up at times. _Oh shit, he gets out in less than a month._ I shook my head and rested my palms on the kitchen counter. Sitron jumped up and sat next to my arm. He meowed softly and I scratched the cat behind the ears. "Time for bed."

I turned around and saw Max outstretched on Kristoff's chest. The boy seemed to already be asleep even though he closed his eyes not five minutes ago. I wanted to smile but I couldn't, I was too exhausted from the day. I turned off the lights and walked into the bedroom.

Anna was already in bed, lying on top of the covers wearing a large soccer jersey that belonged to my brother. On his visits he seemed to always leave a few articles of clothing behind. Including underwear, I remembered when I saw Anna wearing black boxer briefs. I always just washed them and kept them. Although having a girl in my bed wearing them hadn't been one of the intended uses at the time.

Anna was lying on her stomach with her head turned away from me. I quickly changed into a pair of dark blue pyjamas and buttoned them up to my throat before getting into bed next to her.

I had thought the girl was already asleep but I was proven wrong when she rolled over and put her lower arm on my stomach. I stretched out my arm to the side and she put her head on my shoulder, snuggling her face into the crook of my neck. "We're quite a pairing, aren't we?" she sighed.

"I get panic attacks, you get anger attacks." I played with Anna's hair, curling it around my finger and letting it fall down.

"Anna?"

"Hm?"

"That argument that you had with your parents... in Norwegian. What was it about?"

If was quiet for a bit and I was a bit afraid I'd overstepped, but I kept hearing Anna's voice in my head from earlier that day. _I want you to pry in that wide open wound_. Anna pulled on a loose thread of my pyjama. "My mom thought I was being rude. And that I shouldn't just assume you guys would give me a ride." She sighed and I could hear the tiredness in her voice. "She slapped me because I yelled at her to stop pretending to be my mom. The few years I spent at home Gerda was more of a mother to me than Idunn." She put her hand flat on my stomach and pressed her forehead in my neck. "Let's talk about it tomorrow or something, I'm exhausted."

"Of course, Anna. Thanks for telling me though." I squeezed her shoulder softly.

"We need to stop having these days," Anna mumbled. I could hear she was trying to fight off sleep. It made me smile.

"What days?"

"You know. You bust me out of jail after having a bad day at work, you get a panic attack. You go to a dinner with people who turn out to be my parents, you have a panic attack, I get an anger attack. Imagine how bad the next one would be."

"I have two panic attacks and you beat someone to death?" The words left my mouth before I realised what I was saying. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. But you're kind of right." She yawned. "I really don't want... to face... Mulan..."

I stroked the girl's head whilst staring up at the ceiling. She was right. I was really done with these weird days.

* * *

I didn't sleep well that night. I lay awake for hours, listening to Anna's deep and rhythmic breathing. _She's so peaceful._ I turned onto my side and looked at the girl lying next to me. She'd rolled away from me soon after she'd fallen asleep, mumbling nonsense in between soft snores.

_I guess she does have something of her mother in her. Those cheekbones perhaps. And her nose could be her father's._ I sighed and resisted the urge to wipe a lock of hair from the girl's face.

I heard one of my cats scratching at the door. Slightly annoyed I got up, careful not to disturb Anna, and walked to the door. Sitron was outside and he slipped into the bedroom when the door opened. He jumped onto the bed and seemed a bit confused that there was someone else in there, but he quickly curled himself onto the foot of the bed. I looked into the living room and saw Kristoff's hair sticking out from the couch. Every time he inhaled I could see Max's white hair stick out just above the back of the sofa.

After a quick trip to the toilet I wanted to crawl back into bed, but noticed something on my window. _It's snowing?_ I went over to the window and pressed my nose against the glass. It was indeed snowing, heavy white flakes were circling down towards the ground and covered the lower edge of my window. I had a very wide windowsill so I sat down, my back against the side panel and my knees drawn up to my chest. Even at this hour there were cars driving around outside. Their headlights made the snow light up like fireflies in the night. It was mesmerising.

I heard Anna moan softly and move around in the bed. I looked over to make sure she was okay, but she'd just rolled over onto her stomach with her limbs spread everywhere. Sitron seemed heavily insulted by the fact there was now a foot next to his head, so he jumped off the bed and came to sit with me. I crossed my legs and he climbed up on them. "So you complain when I leave you alone for a day, but when I bring home company you're still not satisfied?" I whispered, scratching the cat behind his ears.

I heard a scream from outside which made me look up. I lived up quite high so for the sound to reach me it must've been rather loud. Luckily it turned out to just be a young woman who was engaged in a snowball fight with someone, a boy by the looks of it. Both were wrapped up with scarves, hats and gloves and they were throwing handfuls of snow at each other. The boy tried to close the distance between them, rewarded by the girl shoving a large amount of snow in his face with both her hands. I smiled, listening to their faint laughs and yells. The boy took the girl's head in between his hands and kissed her then, in the middle of the street. The girl paused and they lingered like that for a moment or two, before the girl shoved the remainder of snow in her hands underneath the boy's coat. I snickered and watched as they ran off, the boy chasing her.

When they disappeared out of the corner of my window I felt lonely all of a sudden. I looked over at Anna, who smacked her mouth in her sleep and mumbled softly. _Why can't we just be like that? Uncomplicated._ I looked back at the window as a fresh snowflake joined the others at the base of the glass. _Why does it have to be so... dramatic all the time?_ I frowned. _Well that's not entirely true. The theme park was nice._ "Until Hans showed up," I muttered.

_Yeah, about that._ I sighed. I was still determined to go through with it and accept the position of CEO if it was offered to me. I wasn't about to be scared off by a few threats, but at the same time I shouldn't just ignore them. _Maybe I should go to the police and see what they think about it. I could go see lieutenant Masters, he'll probably remember me._

The wind made a soft whistling noise as it curved around the building. I leaned my head back against the windowsill and closed my eyes, listening to the special kind of silence only wind and rain could bring me. It couldn't drown out my thoughts, however.

_You should tell Anna everything too. Keeping secrets has clearly not been the best strategy for you both lately._ Sitron dug his nails into my pyjamas and I absently started stroking his fur. _You're lucky she forgave you that easily._ I smiled faintly. _Our first argument and it's resolved by me having a panic attack. I guess it works, but I'd rather just talk it out next time._ Next time? Yeah, people have arguments in healthy relationships, don't they?

I gently put Sitron down and got up. No use thinking about these things in the middle of the night, I might as well get some sleep. I got back in the bed, lying down on the very edge. I looked over at Anna, how she was sprawled out, and considered snuggling up to her for a moment, but decided against it. I faced the other way and closed my eyes, the wind outside nicely covering up the thoughts that were swirling around my head.

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**/Next chapter will hold some more fluff to save all of your poor hearts, I promise!**


	14. Chapter 14: The beanie II

**/It's been 8 days since the last update, sorry about that! Life... Can't live without it, right?  
/Anyway, I have been tormenting you guys a bit with the last chapters, and this one starts out not so happy either - so I've already finished chapter 15 and I'll throw that one online tomorrow. Which also explains the long-ish wait. Together chapter 14 and 15 are like 24k words so that should make up for it, no?  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14  
**The beanie II

"My head..." Anna rested her face in her hands, sagged down on one of the barstools in my kitchen. Kristoff was still fast asleep. I had tried being quiet when getting up and waking Anna, but she quickly told me it took a lot more than just a couple of people talking to wake the blond up.

"Breakfast is almost done." I flipped the sizzling bacon and eggs over and put down the spatula, leaning on the counter to look at Anna. "How is your hand?"

She carefully loosened the tape holding the bandage together and unwrapped her hand. When the last bit of bandage slid off of her skin I sucked in my breath. Her hand was still very blue and the blood under her skin had spread as far as her wrist. Unlike me however, Anna just regarded her hand with slight fascination. "I don't think it's broken," she said slowly.

I looked up when a gust of wind whistled around the building, a stark contrast with the warm smell of breakfast filling my kitchen. I looked back at Anna. "How do you know?"

Anna carefully wiggled her fingers. "Because it hurts, but it doesn't make me want to jump out the window when I do this." She smirked at me. "I'll be fine Munchy, don't worry."

I frowned and had to resist the urge to cringe at Anna wiggling her injured hand around like that. "Of course I worry, I saw you punch my wall so hard you cracked the tile."

Anna looked at me with raised eyebrows. "I... cracked a tile?"

I leaned back against the counter across from the stove and studied Anna's face. "I'm not sure whether you're shocked, proud or..." I shook my head. Anna just chuckled softly.

"Well I feel bad for breaking something in your house. But the martial artist in me is kind of proud." She frowned and looked down at her hands. "Well not of the fact I lost control like that, just..." She rubbed her face with her uninjured hand. "I am certainly not proud of that." She glanced up at me from underneath heavy eyelids. "Sorry."

The way she was sitting there, her shoulders hunched and her head low, she looked very small and fragile. Not the Anna I was used to. It made me want to wrap my arms around her and hug her. _So why don't you?_ I moved around the counter and stepped behind the redhead, clasping my hands together in front of her stomach and resting my chin on her shoulder.

"It's okay. It's just a tile. I was thinking of moving house anyway." I chuckled softly. Anna put her hand on mine and leaned back into me, causing me to straighten my back. Her head tilted back and she looked up at me, her head pressing in my sternum just underneath my chest.

"No it's not okay. I got drunk and lost control and that's never okay. Stop defending me and just accept the apology."

"...okay, apology accepted." I smiled. "I guess that makes us even in the whole 'drunk-behaviour' area."

I heard a soft meow and looked over at the couch, where Sitron was trying to lie down next to Max. Kristoff's arm was in the way however, and the cat didn't seem happy about that. He moved over to Max's other side and lay down, which meant his hind legs were on Kristoff's face. I chuckled. "Shouldn't we wake him up?"

"He'll wake up eventually. The smell of bacon will probably appeal to his subconscious."

I let go of Anna to turn off the stove and serve up breakfast. I loaded up a plate with bacon, eggs, orange slices and some toast for Anna, eliciting a grunt from the girl. "I can get used to this, Munchy. It looks absolutely amazing." I simply smiled and made up another plate, settling for a little bit of each for myself. I wasn't that hungry.

Sitting next to Anna, eating our breakfast in silence, I couldn't help but think back to the previous night. _There's clearly a lot of hurt within Anna. I had no idea, she does an amazing job hiding it - but last night really showed how much it actually pains her that her parents don't seem to accept her. Until that outburst in the bathroom she almost acted normal._

I put down my fork and Anna glanced over. "Not hungry?"

_Tell her what's on your mind. You tried protecting her, that didn't work. Just talk. _"It's just that... I don't know if I can just go back to the way things were before. What happened last night was terrifying. " Anna also put down her fork and I could see the hurt on her face. I quickly grabbed her uninjured hand in mine. "Not you. I wasn't afraid of you. I know you wouldn't hurt me." I saw the doubt on Anna's face but she kept quiet, giving me the room to continue. I sighed and closed my eyes for a second before looking back at the redhead. "Let me rephrase. I just never knew how much you were hiding from me. No, wait." I folded my hand over my eyes and squeezed my temples. "How is it that whatever I'm trying to say comes out sounding terrible?"

Anna still kept quiet and it was starting to make me really uncomfortable. I looked up at her. "Are you mad at me?"

Anna withdrew her hand from mine and very gently started massaging her bruised hand, fixating her eyes on her knuckles. "For what you're saying now?"

"For anything. Yesterday made it clear to me that I need to be more open to you and..." my voice fell away.

"And that I should be more open to you?" Anna said. Her voice wasn't harsh, but it wasn't soft either. "You have a point, because what happened at my parents' house yesterday was really not OK. I'm not saying it was purely your fault, but..."

"But I should have told you." I couldn't look at Anna anymore so I followed her gaze and observed how she softly stretched and rubbed her fingers.

"Yeah. You should've."

"And I wanted to. I think."

I felt Anna's eyes drill a hole in the top of my head. "You think? Elsa I really agree with the whole 'being more open to each other' thing, but if it's going to be like this..."

"No, that's not what I meant!" I buried my face in my hands. "I really want to share everything with you, but I'm just worried I'll get you in trouble. Or get you hurt." I looked up at Anna with pleading eyes. "And I just really don't want to see you get hurt."

Anna's eyes softened slightly but I could see she was still on edge. "How can telling me something get me in trouble? It's my decision whether I want to act on something Elsa, don't take that choice away from me. My parents have been doing that to me for most of my life, I don't need you doing the same."

I shot a look at Kristoff but he hadn't moved. _And even if he's listening, it's not like he doesn't already know everything that's going on._ "Okay, fine. You're right. And this is probably the worst moment to tell you this, but I can't keep waiting for the right moment because there isn't one." I put both my elbows on the counter and pressed my palms against my eyes.

"Monday, in the theme park, a man came up to me. He's the one who stepped on your beanie." I barely took enough time to take a breath. My resolve was already on thin ice, one sound or look from Anna might break it. "He told me that I'd get a call on Wednesday. Today. The board is going to offer me the position of CEO alongside Holter, on a trial-basis, but if I take it he'd hurt me. Or something. He didn't say what he'd do to me, but..."

I was interrupted by the sound of Anna jumping off her stool. Without looking I knew she had started to pace and I kept my palms pressed to my face, my stomach churning slowly.

Anna's footsteps stopped. "You're telling me this now? Seriously? This happened on Monday, and you're telling me _now_?!" Her voice was trembling but alarmingly soft.

"Anna, please. I know it was wrong of me not to tell you, but we were..."

"You're damn right it was wrong of you not to tell me!" The sudden increase in volume made me jump slightly and I heard movement from the couch. I kept my hands pressed to my face however, not daring to move. _This is it, you've lost her._

"This asshole walks up to you, threatens you, and you don't tell me? He was _right there_ Elsa, he was in the park with us! He was _RIGHT THERE_! If he had decided to do something then and there, I wouldn't have known and I would've been helpless!"

"He said he'd hurt me if I took the job, not..."

"He's a criminal, Elsa! A fucking criminal! You can't trust criminals to keep their word!" Anna's voice started getting hoarse again. It still hadn't recovered from the previous day and she was exerting it again to quite an extent. "God fucking damnit Elsa! Will you at least look at me?!"

A sudden knock on the door made all three of us look up. Yes, all three, because Kristoff had woken up as soon as Anna had started yelling. We were staring at the door when a second knock resounded through the apartment. _We have a doorman. All mail is delivered downstairs._ Anna looked at me, her face still angry but now seemingly focused on something else. "Elsa, who can get up here?" she asked quietly.

"Just people that work at the building, or other residents," I answered. I saw Kristoff get up, his eyes fixated on the door. Anna moved into the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the counter. _Whoa, guys, hold up._ "Can we please stop and think for a moment?" I asked, my voice shaky from the argument I'd been having with Anna.

"How many visitors do you get up here, Elsa?" Kristoff asked while moving towards the door carefully.

I licked my lips. "None. But I'm sure it's just..."

"Miss Shields?" The voice came from outside the door and I saw Kristoff visibly jump, but Anna hadn't moved a muscle. She was still in the kitchen however, and not moving towards the door. I had recognised the voice though, and felt myself relax.

I got up and walked towards the door. Kristoff's eyes widened. "Guys, it's my doorman. He won't jump and kill me." _They didn't hesitate to defend me though._ The thought made me warm inside. _Maybe you haven't lost Anna yet_.

I opened the door and there was my doorman, holding a parcel in his hands. "What's this, you usually don't come up to hand deliver packages."

The boy shrugged, glancing over at Kristoff. The blond was standing right behind me, like a scruffy bodyguard. "I uhm..." He looked back at me. "The guy gave me some cash to deliver it immediately. That's all. Happens all the time." He held the parcel over to me and I took it. It was small and light, but I didn't really care about it. I nodded at the boy and closed the door. I really wasn't in the mood for small talk.

I tossed the parcel onto the kitchen island and sat back down on the barstool. I locked eyes with Anna and felt there was still a large amount of tension between us, a tension that needed to be resolved. Anna shot a look at Kristoff and the boy scratched his neck. "I'll be... taking a shower."

"Is there anything else you haven't told me, Elsa?" Anna had put the knife back on the counter but she didn't look less intimidating, her bruised hand in a fist at her side. I knew it must hurt.

"Hans. The guy's name is Hans. That's all I know. He mentioned Holter as well, so he probably works for him somehow, but I had never seen him before Friday." I saw Anna's eyebrows lower and quickly continued. "He was just walking through the hallway when I had the meeting, I didn't think anything of it. Just a guy in a suit walking in an office building."

"Fuck." Anna leaned onto the counter, breaking her aggressive posture. She suddenly looked exhausted and the heavy bags under her eyes seemed to have appeared out of thin air. "If there is anything else, anything at all, you need to tell me now." I shook my head and she rubbed her face with her hand. "I take it that you're still planning on taking the job?" I nodded and she fell quiet, thinking things over.

I stared down onto the counter, folding my hands tightly in front of me. "Anna, if you want out, I get it." It took quite some effort to keep my voice from breaking when I said it. _I don't want to lose her. But I don't want her to get hurt either._

She frowned. "Want out? What are you talking about?"

"If you want out of this. This situation. This relationship. You have enough on your plate with your parents already, and I have no idea what's going to happen to me. To the company. So if you want out, I understand."

"Oh, wow." She laughed cynically. "If there was any part of me that wanted out, do you think I'd still be here?"

I thought about that for a moment. "I guess not."

"That's mine." Anna's voice had changed and I looked up, confused.

"What?"

"The parcel. It has my name on it." Her eyes were locked on the small black parcel on the counter. I reached over and pulled it towards me. Anna was right, it said her name. Anna Almstedt. No address, just that. "Give it to me," the redhead demanded.

I looked up, a bit surprised at the urgency in her voice, but I handed the parcel to her. Anna immediately ripped the plastic open and two things came falling out, something made of fabric and a piece of paper. Anna picked them up. "A black beanie." She then read the paper and I saw her face slacken. I felt my mouth go dry and my heart started beating faster. Anna handed me the piece of paper.

I read the message out loud. "Miss Almstedt, I hope you had a great day with your girlfriend. I felt so bad for ruining your beanie, I wanted to replace it. Sincerely, Hans."

Anna leaned backwards against the counter. "I'm in this with you, Elsa. Whether we like it or not."

"He knew you were here. He fucking knew you were here." _And he knows what you mean to me._

I saw Anna's surprise at my profanity, but at this moment there were no words strong enough to describe my mixture of anger, fear and panic. I got up and moved towards my bedroom. Anna called after me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting dressed. And then I'm going to see lieutenant Masters."

* * *

"Anna, you can't just ditch school. Work."

"I'm just an intern. They don't need me as much as you do."

"Maybe you'd be safer in the hospital."

"For fucks sake Elsa, stop resisting me." Anna pressed her phone against her ear and leaned against the passenger door of the car.

I gritted my teeth whilst trying to keep my attention on the road. The layer of fresh snow was quite thick already and my socks were making squelching noises in my trainers. I hadn't taken a lot of time getting dressed, throwing on a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Even I wasn't immune to cold however, so I had wrapped a scarf around my face and was wearing a long woollen coat.

Kristoff was sitting in the backseat, his face grim but his eyes alert. The boy hadn't said much but his mood was so foul he'd yelled at Anna for not hurrying up when we were on our way to the car. The girl had been mesmerised by the snow on the ground and even through her own anger had reached down to form a snowball in her hands. It had fallen back to the ground unused when she walked over to the car however, her face just as dark as it was now as she held the phone to her ear.

"Hello, doctor Reynolds? This is Anna Almstedt. Yes, the medical intern. I'm sorry but I can't come in today, something came up." I nervously checked my mirrors before taking a right turn towards the police station. "I know doctor Reynolds, I apologise. I injured my hand and it needs to rest before I can come back to work."

Kristoff shifted in the back seat. "Now he's saying that she can still learn whilst not exactly working," he mumbled.

"I know doctor, but you know me. I can't be somewhere and not work. I promise I'll work even harder tomorrow."

"Doctor Reynolds doesn't work on Thursdays," Kristoff sighed.

"Then I'll work even harder for doctor Richards. I'm sorry doctor Reynolds, but I have to go. Yes, again I'm sorry. Okay. See you. Bye." She hung up the phone and looked over her shoulder at Kristoff. "Were you saying something?"

"Nothing important," Kristoff said whilst rubbing his face. I was too stressed to laugh and instead had to slam the brakes when someone stepped onto a pedestrian crossing from behind a parked car. Anna was flung forward and had to brace herself on the dashboard with both of her hands, yelping from the pain in her hand.

"Shit Anna, I've told you a million times to wear your bloody seatbelt!"

"Learn how to drive and I won't have to!"

"Enough!" Kristoff yelled. Both Anna and I quieted, tears pricking behind my eyes. "We've got better things to do than argue about stupid shit like this. Anna, put on your fucking seatbelt. Elsa, start driving, the cars behind us are honking."

Anna aggressively tugged on her seatbelt and fastened it before staring out the window, softly massaging her painful hand. I released the brakes and drove off, my arms trembling from the shock of having to slam the brakes and both Anna and Kristoff yelling at me. _Relax, everyone is just stressed out. Just get everyone to the precinct safely and take it from there._

As soon as I parked the car Anna threw open the door and got out. I took two deep breaths before turning off the engine and getting out of the car, shivering slightly when I felt the snow drop the temperature in my shoes again. I was still driving the rental which had a superb heating system, I'd called the company to let them know I'd be keeping it for another day. Kristoff was waiting for me outside the car, Anna was already running up the few steps that lead into the precinct. "Just let her rage on for a bit, she'll calm down." Kristoff smiled. "She loves you too much not to."

"She... loves me?" Kristoff put an arm around my shoulders and started walking towards the doors, practically forcing me along. It was a bit of a weird feeling, he usually wasn't that touchy feely, but it did make me feel safe and wanted. Something I could use right now.

"Well I won't put any words in her mouth, but I've never seen her fall for someone as fast as she did for you." I felt my throat tighten, but not in a panicky way. A warmth spread through my chest.

"Why are you telling me this though?"

Kristoff squeezed my shoulder. "Because I got the feeling you needed to hear it."

We walked through the doors to find Anna arguing with the desk clerk. "I'm basically on a first name basis with the dude, I just want to talk to him!"

The woman behind the desk didn't look impressed. "Being arrested isn't the same as a social call, Anna." _Well at least she's on a first name basis with the desk clerks._ I pushed away the thought and stood next to Anna, my hands folded on top of the counter.

I mustered up my most professional smile. "Good morning. I'm here to see lieutenant Masters, could you please tell him I'm here?" I handed the woman my business card, but she didn't look at it. Instead, her gaze flicked between me, Anna and Kristoff.

"You're with her?" She nodded at Anna.

"Actually, she's with me. I'm not here to discuss Anna's previous arrests, I'm here on my own accord. I've been receiving threats and I want to discuss them with the lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Masters doesn't handle cases like that. I can have you sit down with..." She checked a list in front of her. "Officer Ribof."

Anna started pacing, clearly impatient. The desk clerk eyed her and I turned towards Kristoff. "Kristoff, could you please take Anna to wait outside?" _Sorry Anna._ I felt tears prick behind my eyes again when I saw the redhead glare at me. Kristoff held out a hand to her but she just shook her head and walked outside. I closed my eyes for a moment, fighting back the tears. _Please give me a moment, Anna. This is a different kind of battle than what you're used to._

I turned back towards the desk clerk. "I'm sorry about Anna, she's very... spirited." I smiled at the woman, but didn't get any response except a lazy stare. "Could you please just call the lieutenant and ask him whether he'll see me?"

"What's he to you?"

"We're... acquainted."

The woman rolled her eyes but she gave in and grabbed the phone on her desk, dialling an extension number. "Yeah Eddie? Got someone here at the desk." She eyed the business card. "Elsa Shields. Says she knows you. Yeah. Ok." She hung up the phone and turned her gaze to her computer screen, lazily moving her mouse around. When she noticed I was still standing there she slowly looked up. "He's on his way."

"Thank you." I glanced at the name tag on her uniform. "Roz."

The door to the squad room opened and lieutenant Masters looked through. "Miss Shields, I can't say I was expecting you. But please, come to my office."

"Anna and a mutual friend are waiting outside, do you mind if they tag along?"

The lieutenant raised his eyebrows. "Anna?" He shrugged. "Sure, why not." I quickly stepped outside to beckon the pair inside, then followed the lieutenant through the door into the squad room.

"So, can I ask what this is about? Not that I mind you visiting, of course." The man shot me a smile as we walked through the room, Anna and Kristoff at our heels. The redhead still didn't seem very happy, but at least she was still here. _I'm thankful for that_.

"I've gotten myself into quite a volatile situation, lieutenant." I heard Anna huff cynically and had to bite the inside of my cheek not to react. I knew I was jumping into my professional role, but that's what needed to be done right now. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be able to get through this conversation all too well.

We went into the office at the far end of the squad room. There weren't a lot of chairs, so the lieutenant offered me his whilst Anna took the other one. _And the men stand, how typical._ I took the chair though, not wanting to step on the man's toes. Not now. I glanced over at Kristoff, who had taken up the bouncer's position at the door.

"So miss Shields, what can I do for you?" The man listened intently to my story. I left nothing out and when he learned about my relationship with Anna he raised his eyebrows for a moment, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Okay." He leaned against the wall, one hand thoughtfully rubbing the stubble on his jaw. "Let me get this straight. Holter & Shields law firm, one of the biggest in town, is actually yours as left to you by your dad. However Mr. Holter denied you your rights, either knowingly or unknowingly."

Anna interrupted him. "He knew. I'm sure of it." I looked at the girl. She'd borrowed some of my clothes, the dark blue jeans folded back around her ankles and a simple dark green shirt hugging her form underneath a white vest which she'd opened up. She was usually complaining about everything cold, so I was wondering why that was. She must've been freezing outside.

"I can't really comment on that without looking into it, Anna. But I believe that isn't the biggest issue." He looked at me. "Can you please repeat the threats you've received?"

"Well first there was Mr. Holter indirectly threatening me with assault. I didn't take that one all too seriously, but when Hans showed up in the theme park he told me quite clearly that I was not supposed to take the job."

"And then today you got that beanie. Did you bring it?"

Anna nodded and held out the paper bag she'd stuffed everything in. The lieutenant put a latex glove on his hand and took it from her, opening it up. "Well, I guess it can be perceived as a threat." He turned the paper message over, but there was nothing else on it. He looked at me. "And I believe it is a threat. But if this goes to court they'll just argue he was trying to be nice because he stepped on Anna's beanie."

"But it's clearly a threat!" Anna flared up.

The lieutenant sighed and put everything on his desk. "I get that, Anna. I don't think Elsa would've come to me if she wasn't sure about that." He looked at her. "You do realise this is a threat towards you though, not her?"

She huffed. "I can take care of myself. And of Elsa."

"If he wants to hurt you he can just use a knife or gun. You and your martial arts can't fight that."

"I'll get him before he draws a weapon." Anna glared at the man.

I closed my eyes for a second. "Theodore." The lieutenant looked at me, a surprised look on his face. "Can I call you that?"

"Actually Eddie is just short for Ed." _Oops._ He shrugged. "Or does that mean it's long for Ed?" He smiled at his own joke but quickly faltered when he saw my face.

"Okay, Ed. I just want to know what I should do from here."

"You're planning on taking the job, right?"

I rubbed my forehead, slightly agitated. "Yes. Everyone keeps asking me that."

Kristoff spoke up and all of us looked at him. "Well yeah, because it doesn't sound like the smartest move at the moment."

I looked back at the lieutenant, who in turn looked from me to Kristoff and Anna for a bit. "Well I'll definitely look into this Hans fellow. I'll need you to file a report though."

"Can't you just ask around a bit without having to do all that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

I put on my best pleading face. "I don't want the company being under investigation the moment I take up my new position."

Anna moaned loudly. "Jesus Christ Elsa."

Ed made a hushing movement with his hands. "No no, I get it. Once a company is under investigation stocks drop and you shouldn't be affiliated with trying to get your co-captain arrested as soon as you take up a position at the helm." He nodded as if he was taking decisions for himself. "I'll try to get an ID on that Hans guy. Might take a while though, I can't rush this past all my other cases."

I got up and nodded understandingly. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to." I saw Anna inflate like she was about to shout something to the opposite, so I quickly grabbed the lieutenant's hand. "Thank you so much, lieutenant Masters. You have my card?"

"I can't say that I do." I gave him a new one and he put it with the stuff on his desk. "It was nice seeing you again, Elsa." He looked at Anna. "Anna." Kristoff held the door open and the three of us left. We walked through the squad room in silence, the smell of coffee and sugary donuts filling my nostrils.

As soon as we stepped out the front door, Anna turned towards me, fresh snowflakes immediately clinging to her red hair and eyebrows. "Okay, so what's next?"

I sighed, buttoning up my coat. _Please zip up your vest._ "I can drop you off at the hospital if you want, you'd only be an hour late for your shift."

She waved away the idea. "Nah that's not going to happen. I'm sticking with you for the rest of the day. No way I'm leaving you alone in that apartment."

"I'm..." I was going to say I'd be fine, but I knew that wasn't going to change her mind. Besides that, it wasn't exactly true. _There's still something in between us, I can feel it. Like a ringing in your ear. You're not sure what it is, but you're damned sure it's there._ "Thanks, Anna."

Kristoff raised his hand and I looked at him. "I wouldn't mind a ride back to my place, actually." I nodded and smiled. His dress shirt was wrinkled and he'd rolled up the sleeves of his blazer, making the usually nice outfit look rather scruffy.

"Of course. Get in."

* * *

"So." I sat down on my couch, my back against an armrest and my knees drawn up to my chest. I clutched a large mug of tea in my hands and blew softly on the steaming liquid, enjoying the wind howling around the building now that I knew I didn't have to go out again. Anna was lying on the floor, stomach down, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her workout had caused my living room to smell slightly salty, something I found strangely appealing.

"So what?" She tapped her phone before pressing herself up on her forearms and toes into a planking position, her body tense as a drawstring. She had insisted on staying with me another night until a more permanent arrangement could be made, so when we dropped Kristoff off she had quickly packed a bag for herself. This included training gear like the loose white pants and black singlet she was currently wearing. I admired her muscular shoulders and arms, tensed to their maximum by the position she was in.

"If you want to finish your workout first that's fine, we can talk after." I took a small sip of my tea and almost burned my tongue. Still way too hot.

Anna started getting red in the face and her body started trembling slightly. I glanced at her phone and saw she was almost up to a minute already. I'd bet I couldn't hold out that long. I figured it was probably hard to talk when her body was tensed up like that so I waited patiently until she came down to the ground again.

Max jumped up on the couch with me, meowing loudly. Sitron moved over to Anna and smelled her face, his whiskers tickling her skin. "Sitron, get over here!" I quickly yelled, but it was too late - Anna had to release the plank and rolled on her side, playfully swatting at the cat.

"Damn you Sitron, now I'll have to go again." She sat up and crossed her legs, stretching her arms above her. The singlet raised up and I couldn't help but look at her muscular stomach underneath. The muscles were still engaged from the workout and it made my mouth go dry. "You were saying?"

I flushed red when I realised she'd caught me staring and I quickly took another sip of my tea whilst Max tried climbing onto my lap. "I know there's probably some more things you want to say to me. For some reason we're always interrupted when we're arguing." I stretched my legs and Max climbed up on them, sitting down and blinking slowly at me. I scratched him behind his ears, my mouth smiling but my mind buzzing.

"You make it sound like we're some old married couple. But yeah, I guess there's a few things left that we have to discuss." She twisted her upper body and I could hear something crack. It unnerved me, but I decided now wasn't the best time to comment on it.

"Feel free to say anything, Anna. I have no more secrets."

The redhead brought her legs together in front of her, both slightly bent at the knees and her feet flat on the ground. She put her hands underneath her knees and leaned back until her arms were stretched before letting go of her knees, putting all her upper body weight on her core. She put her hands flat on top of each other, and started bringing them from side to side, twisting her upper body. I looked on, wondering if I'd be able to do that.

"Well." Anna's voice sounded strained because her muscles were tensed, but at least she was able to talk through this exercise. "We have to figure out... what to do about... my parents."

I nodded, softly pushing Max on his side so I could reach his stomach. He lazily complied, raising his legs in the air and purring softly. "Yeah I've been thinking about that. And I think you should decide. They're your parents, I just work with them."

"But you... need... them?" I hadn't been counting how many times Anna had moved from side to side, but it must've been quite a lot already.

"Well I'll have to work with them more in the future. They'll be a part of my company."

"Answer... my..."

"Yes," I quickly replied. _No need to over-exert her._ "Well I think I can do it without them. Be CEO, I mean. But it would be a lot easier if I could ask them for advice. It doesn't take away the fact that I think it should be your choice though. Whatever you decide is fine with me."

When I didn't get an answer I quickly threw a look at the redhead and saw her eyes were closed and her teeth bared in a painful expression. Her upper body seemed to be trembling and her feet were slightly off the floor.

Now that I knew she had her eyes closed I risked looking at her for a moment longer. I could see the muscles in her shoulders rolling underneath her skin and even though the rest of her torso was covered by the singlet it wasn't hard to imagine the muscles at work underneath.

Sitron still seemed very interested in the young girl on the floor and he was sitting on the edge of the rug, looking at the (for him) inexplicable movements Anna was making. My eyes flicked between him and Anna, just hoping he wouldn't jump on her or something worse. His tail was swishing from side to side precariously and I was pondering whether I needed to remove the straw-coloured cat from the equation when Anna let out a loud groan and let herself fall backwards, her chest rising heavily and her hands above her head.

An image entered my head. The image of me straddling Anna's hips with my hands on her wrists, pushing her to the floor with her chest rising and falling just like it was now, me leaning down to press my mouth to hers. _Whoa, whoa Elsa. What the hell. Inappropriate._

I smiled cynically at myself, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger with my eyes closed. _Come on, brain. With all of this stuff going on you show me that? Let me think of some puppies, or kittens. Baby seals. Throttling Holter._

Instead I thought back to the theme park, the kiss Anna had planted on me at the ticket booth. Then later at Kristoff and Sven's apartment, when she'd kissed me in front of the refrigerator. The corners of my mouth curled up when I remembered Kristoff's reaction to that, grabbing the cans from my hands like nothing was going on.

"What on earth are you thinking about? Your face just went from flushed to sarcastic to flushed to entertained." I looked at Anna, who had pushed herself up onto her elbows. She was still panting, making it very hard to keep my eyes focused on her face. "Was it something I did?" she smirked. _Damn you, Anna._

"So, your parents." I cleared my throat and put my hand back on Max, who had started to complain loudly at the lack of attention. Sitron had walked over to Anna and started licking her arm. She looked down on him, a bit surprised. _It's just the salt in your sweat. They like it._ The thought made me think about how Anna's sweat would taste. _God damnit Elsa, what's wrong with you today._

"Yeah, my parents. I don't think we should tell them about us right now. Not yet. Let's just get through this thing with your company and Hans first." Anna scratched Sitron on the top of his head and the cat blinked at her.

"Looks like Sitron is starting to like you. Count yourself lucky, he's the shy one. Max'll scratch you, sure, Sitron will try to stare you out the door." I smiled at the girl. "And thanks. I really appreciate that. As soon as you're... as soon as we're ready to tell your parents, I'll be behind you a hundred percent." I swirled the tea in my mug around a bit, weighing my next words. "How are you planning to deal with your parents after last night? If I may ask, of course."

Anna her hand moved to scratch Sitron underneath his chin as the green-eyed girl frowned slightly. "Well it's not the first time stuff like this has happened." I raised my eyebrows, but she quickly interjected. "Not the slapping, that's not a daily thing. I kind of asked for it though. Not that slapping anyone is ever okay. Maybe when you're a martial artist like me and both parties are fine with it. We don't really slap each other though, we punch and kick..." She sighed as Sitron moved away and jumped onto the couch. "We'll be fine though. It doesn't change much. Next time we see each other we'll probably pretend nothing happened, like we always do."

The redhead gestured towards her feet. "Care to help me out with this next exercise? I can't do it alone." I thought I saw a small glint in her eyes but I wasn't sure. I didn't really care either, I was already glad she wasn't mad at me anymore. Kristoff had been right, she'd calmed down during the ride back to my apartment. I just needed to leave her alone for a bit, let her rage. And the workout didn't seem to have been a bad idea either.

I put Max on the sofa and walked over to Anna. I placed my empty teacup down on my kitchen island and then stood at her feet, the redhead still lying on her back raised on her elbows. She now gestured at her feet again, which were flat on the floor. "I need you to keep my feet on the floor. You can use all of your weight, I'll be standing up completely and then lying back down."

I quickly kneeled at Anna's legs, trying to conceal a heavy swallow and my increased breathing. I then carefully put my hands on her feet, quite conscious of how close my face was to her knees. "Okay, ready? I'll try to do the first one slowly, but I have to build momentum... otherwise I might knee you in the face. Don't forget to put all your weight on my feet."

Anna put her shoulders back on the floor, her arms bent at the elbow. Then she quickly exhaled and raised her body up, starting with her shoulders, rolling her lower back over the floor before lifting herself completely up into a standing position. She hadn't been kidding about the amount of weight that was needed to keep her feet on the ground and after a few repetitions I found myself sweating, trying to make sure she wouldn't fall backwards and injure herself because I couldn't hold on to her feet like I was supposed to.

Every time she managed to raise herself into an upright position she punched the air a few times before quickly lying back down in a perfect reverse of the movement it took to get up. I was panting slightly but needed some distraction from Anna's upper legs sometimes touching my face when she came up. I couldn't lean too far back or I wouldn't be able to keep her feet down. "Why are you training so hard? Or is this your normal routine?" _Oh listen to the wind outside. Pretty wind._

Anna managed to squeeze out a few words every time she was upright and punching. "I normally train..." _another rep_ "quite intensely, but..." _and another one_ "I'm training for a tournament." She lay down on the floor with a slight grunt and stayed down. I let go of her feet and sat down myself, my arms wrapped around my knees.

"A tournament? When?"

"It's in two months, you should come!" Anna rolled onto her side in order to push herself up using her arms. _Are her abdominal muscles that tired?_ "It's a little way away, a few hours' drive, but it'd be worth it! Plus, that way me and Mulan don't have to use public transport." She winked at me.

"I... " In all honesty I didn't want to go. Watching Anna fighting other people, possibly getting injured... it made my skin crawl. _But it's what she loves to do. And she wants to share it with you._ "I'd love to come," I said with a smile. I saw Anna's face light up and knew I'd made the right decision. "Now if your workout is done, I think you should take a shower. You're starting to smell." I put so much smile and sarcasm in that sentence that there was no way she could take it as anything else but a joke.

All that had a side effect however. Anna tilted her head forward slightly, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Why Munchy, do you want to join me?" Her voice was lower than usual and it made my skin crawl.

My mind screeched to a halt. _Wait, what?_ Immediately after I realised my brain had stopped working it kicked into gear again, but it skipped all the lower revs and went straight into fifth gear. The most contradicting thoughts were tumbling through my head, the one yelling even louder than the other. _You want this. But not now. What on earth are you supposed to do? I'm not ready for that. Do I just kiss her?_ Sure, having a bit of a fantasy creep into my brain now and then was fine and all that, but now that I seemed to be standing on the threshold of actually getting to -do- some of the things I had been thinking about... No. I wasn't ready. Not at all.

It probably only took me a few seconds to think through all that, but Anna had seen my face and quickly got up in a squatting position, her hands on my knees. I looked at her with a frown. "I want to, Anna, but I can't. I just can't, not yet. But I want to. I've been thinking but I can't not do what I'm just who..."

Anna squeezed my knees almost painfully. "Elsa. Shut up. I was kidding." I shook my head to get the remnants of my last attempt at a sentence out of my head, but Anna apparently didn't expect me to speak. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was just a joke." She shrugged. "Well I mean, you totally could. Sometime." She chuckled. "But don't worry, I won't be dragging you into a shower any time soon. Just... whenever you're ready is fine."

A sudden thought entered my head as Anna got up. _But what then. How do I even know if I'm ready?_ "So then I just tell you? How did you know you were ready?"

Anna had gotten up while I was talking and was now standing, her hands on her hips and a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm not sure how I knew I was ready. I just knew. I mean with that guy in college you knew you didn't want it, right? It just didn't feel OK?" I nodded, Anna smiled. "Well then that's it I guess. At some point the doubt will be gone and it'll feel right." She helped me up and then chuckled. "I was fucking nervous the first time though. That'll probably never go away." She then frowned. "Not a good enough reason to use the word 'fucking', probably."

"Thanks, Anna." I smiled down on the redhead and took her hands, reminding myself not to squeeze the injured one.

Anna smiled as well, running a thumb over my fingers. "And well yeah, I guess at that point you could tell me. Or you can just show me." She tried to look innocent and even managed to conjure a pout onto her face, but it quickly broke into a grin.

I leaned forward to kiss the younger girl, but at that exact moment my phone started ringing and vibrating against the kitchen counter. I had put the ringtone on so I wouldn't miss any calls today. Not only was the board supposed to call, according to Hans, but I was also waiting for a call from Jeanie. Anna sighed and moaned softly. "I think I prefer being interrupted whilst arguing." She looked at me. "I'll be having that shower then." She took a few steps towards the bathroom while I walked towards my phone.

Before I could pick up the phone however, Anna called my name. "And Elsa. Be careful."

I nodded and took in a deep breath when I saw the number was blocked. I knew what Anna had meant. _Be careful with what you say. With what you promise. And especially with what you don't tell them._ I pressed the green phone icon and put the phone up to my ear. "This is Elsa Shields."

"Good afternoon, Miss Shields. You are speaking to Mr. Andrews, head of the board of Holter & Shields." I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. I glanced over to the bathroom door but Anna had disappeared, closing the door behind her.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Andrews. How can I help you? It's hard to believe the board has already come to a decision this fast." _That's it Elsa, stroke his ego. Him and his board are sooo fast._

"Well I'm glad to inform you we did, actually." I could hear a change in his voice and knew my flattery had worked. "And I'm also very pleased to inform you that we have come to an arrangement in which you will fulfil a role as CEO."

"Mr. Andrews, that's fantastic news." I did my best to find a balance between sounding surprised but not too excited. CEOs don't get excited. "I don't know what to say."

"Well before you say yes, let me explain how your position will work. You will not be the sole CEO of the company. The board discussed the option but we were forced to conclude that you simply do not have the needed experience to run a company this large on your own." _Okay so far it sounds like Hans was right._ My stomach sunk a little. _Which again leaves us with the question of where he got his information._ I walked over to the couch while Andrews continued to talk into my ear.

"Mr. Holter has already agreed to work alongside you for a trial period of six months, after which the board will evaluate your performance." The man cleared his throat. "Now we could tell there was quite some tension between the two of you at the meeting last Friday." I frowned, but didn't interrupt the man. He was right of course, but I hadn't expected him to bring it up.

"We have agreed to transfer Mr. Holter to our other building. It's not very far, but it will allow you the room to get used to your new position without Mr. Holter looking over your shoulder all the time. On top of that it will let your employees get used to your presence without a middle man so to say. We're hoping you can start the small gust that will grow into a fresh wind throughout the company, Miss Shields." _He's been practicing that, I'm sure of it._

"That sounds great, Mr. Andrews." I quieted for a moment, letting the information sink in. _So they're saying they'll transfer Holter out of there. Does that mean the problem is out of the way? He'll still be the boss of his own building. Maybe that'll be enough for Hans._ I frowned before a sheepish grin spread over my face. _I'm the CEO of a law firm. Holy moly. _

"Of course you'll need to hire an assistant and you'll have to have a meeting with our building resource manager if you need any changes to be made to the office."

"Well those stupid cubicles need to go." I went red. "I mean..."

Mr. Andrews laughed. "I meant -your- office, Miss Shields. You will be taking up residence in Mr. Holter's old office, so to say. But of course, as CEO you're also allowed to make such changes to the work floor... but don't forget to include the board where needed."

My heart started beating a little faster with excitement. _I get to change things. I'll be the CEO. Oh wow._ "Miss Shields? Can I take your silence as a yes or a no?"

I blinked, Hans' words playing through my head. _You will not take up this offer._ I grinned defiantly. _Screw you, Hans._ "Yes, Mr. Andrews. A definite yes."

"Splendid, Miss Shields. Truly marvellous. Now if you don't mind, I have some other business to attend to, but I will make sure to send my assistant to your office tomorrow to go over a few things before you can settle in and get to work. Lots to do, lots to do."

"Is there anything I can do beforehand, Mr. Andrews?" _Please say no._

"Just enjoy the rest of your day, Miss Shields. You have a busy couple of months ahead of you."

"I imagine so, Mr. Andrews. But I must say I'm looking forward to it."

"Splendid, Miss Shields. Splendid. Well, I shall talk to you on another occasion then. Perhaps the Pinehearth winter formal in two months' time."

_A formal? I'll have to ask his assistant about that._ "Until we speak again, Mr. Andrews." _Please don't say splendid again._

"Until we speak again, Miss Shields."

I hung up the phone and stared at it for a little while, a multitude of feelings and emotions blazing through my chest. My neck was clenched and I felt my limbs tingle but instead of making me feel anxious, it made me want to jump up and down and yell at the top of my lungs.

I closed my eyes and pressed the phone to my forehead with both my hands. _I got a company. I'm CEO. I got a company._ My eyes flew open. _I need to find an assistant._ I rushed to put my laptop on top of the kitchen counter and sat down on one of my barstools, opening my web browser. _Okay so what do I look for? Employment agencies? I should just call them. Or is it all online?_ I looked at my phone. _I'll just call them._ My fingers hovered over the screen. _Oh wait, I need a phone number._

I got up and walked over to the low table next to my front door. _Yellow pages. Wait, do I even get those?_ I stopped in my tracks. _Oh right, internet._ I turned around to walk back but was greeted by Anna, who walked out of the bathroom wearing black jeans and a simple green shirt with a white logo on it. She was rubbing her hair with a towel but halted when she saw me, an incredulous smirk and frown on her face. "Damn Munchy, what's gotten into you?"

I put my phone down on the counter, the tension in my chest ready to explode. I pressed my fingers to my mouth, chest swelling up and my eyes wide and happy. "I said yes!" I yelled loudly from behind my hands. The energy in my body was threatening to overwhelm me so I strode over to Anna and took her hands in mine, the towel falling to the floor. Anna seemed surprised but not against the notion and I pulled her in large circles around me, our arms outstretched.

"Hahaha careful Munchy, don't slam either of our heads into the wall please." She pulled me in closer and put one of her hands on my waist, the other one intertwined besides us. Before even giving me the time to put my now free hand on her shoulder she started pulling me in circles behind the sofa into an energetic waltz. _Oh right, we've both been raised with this stuff._

I was surprised how easily Anna took the lead but I didn't mind, letting myself be swept up in the dance and the feelings in my chest that were elevated by Anna's stomach pressing into mine and her fingers on my lower back. I closed my eyes, trusting Anna not to steer us off in a wrong direction.

"Oh shit," Anna suddenly yelled, a laugh in her voice. She pulled me sharply in a different direction and my eyes flew open to reveal Sitron standing to the side. Anna let go of me and petted the cat. "You have a habit of being inappropriate, don't you?" she said, playfully frowning at the cat. She then looked up at me. "Your classical dancing is a lot better than what I saw in the pub that first night we met."

"Well my teachers probably thought 'twerking' wasn't appropriate dancing for an upcoming business magnate." I laughed, although I was quite disappointed our dance had been interrupted. Anna stood up again and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I hate it when we argue."

I swept some locks of wet, red hair out of Anna's face. "Me too. This is much nicer."

Anna grinned up at me. "Maybe next time we should just aggressively dance our anger away."

"I'm afraid one of us might end up with injuries in that case. Probably me." I put my arms around Anna's shoulders, pulling her in for a close hug. We stood there for half a minute, enjoying each other's presence. When I pulled my head back Anna planted a soft kiss on my lips.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you before that happens."

I pressed a soft kiss on the bridge of the redhead's nose, tasting a hint of my own shower gel. _It smells a lot better on her._ A weird feeling crept up on me, a possessive urge. _She smells like me, does that mean she's mine?_

"Elsa, your phone." I had been so caught up in the moment I hadn't heard my phone ring. That, and I just wasn't used to the ringtone.

"I hope that's Jeanie." I wanted to walk over to the counter, but Anna shot past me and picked up the phone. "Anna, what are you..."

Anna raised her hand and pressed the phone to her ear. "This is Elsa Shields' phone." I heard a voice coming from the other side but I couldn't hear who it was. "Jeanie." Anna shot a look at me. "Don't worry, you can tell me. I'm on Elsa's side." I walked over and held out my hand, claiming the phone, but Anna just ducked past me and started walking around the apartment, avoiding me. "Yes, I understand. Yes. Hmhm." Her voice was very professional but her face showed mischief. I knew I was never going to catch her if she didn't want to be caught, so I just stood in the middle of the room with my arms crossed and a scowl on my face.

I was thinking about how I was going to repay Anna for acting like this, but then I suddenly saw her eyes widen and her mouth open in terror. A chill ran down my spine as I walked over to her, putting my hands on her arms. "Anna, what is it?"

Anna shook her head at me and focused on Jeanie on the other line. "Did you find the name Killigan? Duff Killigan. Please tell me he isn't involved." I frowned. I'd never heard the name before.

Something Jeanie had said seemed to relax Anna a bit as I felt her muscles slacken lightly. She walked away from me, towards the other side of the couch, and I started to get really frustrated. "Come on Anna, what's going on?"

"Alright, thanks for the call. Yes, we'll be in touch. Bye." Anna hung up the phone and tossed it at me. My reflexes weren't as good as hers so I almost dropped it, but I managed to prevent it from landing on the hardwood floor. "That was Jeanie."

"I know." I looked up. "What did she have to say?" I was worried and let it show in my face, trying to get a quicker response out of Anna.

"She apparently tried getting some information off of several people. She said she's been careful though. Anyway, she came up with a name. Richard Worth. Ever heard of him?"

I frowned. "Can't say I have."

Anna put her hands in her sides and sighed. "Well, I have. He used to work for Duff Killigan a few years ago. I haven't heard from him in a long time but if he still works for him..." She rubbed her face. "That man is bad news, Elsa. Really bad news."

I took a slow and deep breath. _I'm not sure why, but this just doesn't change anything for me. Maybe I'm crazy, but... _I raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know this guy, Anna?"

"I ran into Worth once, just the once. He tried recruiting me but luckily I'd just met Mulan by then and I declined. I had heard the name of his boss on the street a few times though. People are scared of him. He's not that well-known to people off the streets, he's that good at covering his tracks - but on the streets people know to stay out of his way." She looked at me. "People who oppose him tend to disappear. If Hans works for him..." She shook her head and her eyes turned pleading. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this, Elsa?"

I scratched the back of my head. I didn't want to worry Anna, but if I let this opportunity go... I would never forgive myself. I knew that. "I'm sorry Anna. No. I need to do this."

Anna seemed to deflate and blew out her breath. "Okay then. But in that case I don't want you to be alone anymore. Not tonight, not ever. I wouldn't be able to relax knowing you were on your own somewhere. Mulan, Kristoff, Sven, Merida, Henry..."

I raised both my hands. "Whoa Anna, what are you talking about? And who are this Henry and... M..."

"Merida. And they're teammates of mine, and good friends." _How many friends does this girl have?_

"No, Anna. I won't allow more people to risk themselves for me. I already don't like you and Kristoff doing it, let alone all those other people." I frowned, a bit frustrated but anxious at the same time. _I really don't want this to blow up into some personal army._

I saw Anna's eyes darken a bit but could see that she wasn't that angry. Just worried. "Well what would you say if I told you I won't allow you to risk yourself by taking that job?"

_Okay, well. That's a point._ I shook my head. "Okay, fine." I looked up at Anna. "I'll make a phone call to Ed. Maybe he knows more about that guy and his affiliations."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "So you're on first name bases with the lieutenant, hm?"

"I remember you claiming the same a few hours ago."

"Who is this Jeanie to you anyway?" I raised my eyebrows at the sudden change of subject. _Wait what?_

Anna huffed and I looked down at my phone, suddenly realising. _No, it can't be. _"Anna... are you jealous?"

"What? No!" Her heavily flushed cheeks betrayed her however and she crossed her arms whilst turning away from me.

I was so taken aback by this new piece of information I laughed, but then quickly moved over to the blushing redhead. I stood behind her and hugged her, putting my chin on her shoulder. "Don't worry Sparky. I'm not going anywhere."

Anna turned around in my arms, still blushing but now smiling lightly. "Sparky, hm?"

I licked my lips, suddenly a bit nervous. "Well I can't have you call me Munchy all the time without having a nickname yourself."

Anna put her arms around my neck and grinned, then laughed out loud. "I'm not sure whether I enjoy being called Sparky though."

I kept standing up straight, forcing Anna to press her wrists into my neck rather than her lower arms. "Well I'm still not sure whether I enjoy being called Munchy either," I said with a fake dignified voice.

"Sparky sounds like a dog. And well... Spark is Norwegian for kick. Did you know that?" I shook my head, surprised. "Well I call you Munchy because you bit my lip... does that mean I have to kick you before I earn the name Sparky?"

I laughed and pressed my fingers into Anna's lower back. "Ok fine, forget Sparky. I'll come up with something else."

"I like it when you just call me Anna." she said softly, pulling my head downwards. I leaned into the kiss, one last thought passing through my mind before the buzz of having Anna pressed against me drowned everything else out. _These are going to be a weird few months._

* * *

**/Until tomorrow! Please leave me a review or send me a PM, I love hearing from all of you ^^ Oh and Tumblr asks are also always a possibility, look me up! (Username is the same as here, brooke-shutsano). I'm just a social addict, really.**


	15. Chapter 15: The explorer

**/I made a promise and I'm keeping to that promise. So here it is, 14 hours after chapter 14!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 15  
**The explorer

I nervously tugged at the neckline of my sweater. It was a rich black and had bright white lettering on the back, saying 'Shang Taekwon-do Academy' in a half circle, with a few characters underneath it I didn't understand. Anna had told me it was Mulan's family name, adapted by herself as to not disgrace her family because she'd ran away from home. I didn't make sense to me when Anna told me but I was afraid to ask Mulan, who was standing next to me. _Hey Mulan, what do you mean you disgraced your family and had to adapt your name?_

The shorter woman now swatted at my hand. "Don't pull on your sweater like that, you're pretending to be a part of the team. Your sweater is already clearly brand new, stop acting so fidgety or they'll put you up on the rafters." I rubbed my hand over my slightly sensitive shoulder and thought back to yesterday. It made me flush slightly and I shook my head to get the thought out of my head.

I looked upwards to the rows of benches around the large hall we were in. They were separated from the tournament floor by the simple fact the front row was five meters up from the court and there was only a low metal balustrade between the spectators and the sheer drop down onto the linoleum floor. The benches were filled up with proud parents, family members, friends and even a few fans here and there. You could clearly see which of the fighters in the hall had fought internationally just by looking for their names on banners all through the crowd. The whole hall smelled faintly like sweat, soda and the cheap rubber used on the floors. It kind of reminded me of PE.

Mulan nudged me with her elbow. "Why don't you go hang out with Merida and Henry, I need to prepare Anna for her first match. Her weight class is coming up after this one." I glanced over at my girlfriend, sitting with her back against the wall to my right. She was listening to music with her eyes closed, muttering to herself. I knew she was focusing herself for her upcoming matches, so I glanced around in my search of Anna's team members. Merida wasn't fighting today, she just competed in the jumps and was there to offer moral support to her team mates.

I squinted my eyes, trying to look over and in between the hundreds of heads that were bobbing around this area of the hall. It was the 'staging area' where all contestants were free to move around. When it was time for your pool to fight, you'd be called out on the speaker system and you'd be allowed to enter the tournament area, which was separated from the staging area by heavy metal crush barriers. There were five areas like the one I had seen in Mulan's warehouse, in the shape of the 'five' side of a dice. The middle one was on a large platform and reached to my chest. Every single one was made up of mats that made me cringe the first time I saw them - I was really sceptical about how much of your skull they'd save if you fell down.

A contestant clad in the same white suit everyone was wearing bumped into me, pushing me into the crush barrier. I hit it with my lower back, not very hard but hard enough to make me blow out my breath sharply. "Oh sorry, sabum" the young man said. He bowed to me.

"It's okay." I smiled. _Oh shit, I'm supposed to bow, aren't I?_ Anna had taught me a few things and I was about to lean into a bow when the boy nodded and moved along. _Oh, okay. Apparently I don't have to bow._ A bit confused I leaned against the crush barrier, looking up at the spectators again. I sighed, scanning the crowd for familiar faces or eyes that were looking at me. It was one of the habits I had formed over the past two months since taking up my new position as CEO.

* * *

"I hope everything is as you wished, Miss Shields?" My building manager stood in front of me, a clipboard in his hands and a pencil behind his ear. I guessed him to be in his mid-forties and he was one of the cheeriest employees I had. I had caught myself calling him up to check on the changes I had ordered for my office and the rest of the company, just to enjoy his jokes and voice.

"It all looks great, Foster." I was standing behind my father's old desk and ran my fingers over the heavy dark wood, polished and oiled until it felt smooth as ice. Foster had called in a top notch restaurateur to work on the desk and it looked and smelled brand new, but I could still see the bump in the top of the desk where my father once slammed his hand down so hard his ring had left a dent. I had asked them to leave it. I looked up at the man standing across from me. "You really outdid yourself."

Foster bowed his head, a slight grin on his face. "Well Miss Shields, to be honest I was happy to get Mr. Holter's old stuff out of here. He had terrible taste." I suppressed a grin of my own as I smoothed my pencil skirt with my hands and pulled on the lower rim of my blazer. It was light blue and brand new. To celebrate my new position Anna and I had gone into town, spending a little too much money on new clothing. Anna had objected when I had offered to pay for some new jeans and a coat for her, saying I 'was her girlfriend, not her sugar aunt'. In the end I still paid, though. The memory brought a smile to my face.

"Well if that is all, I'll return to my other responsibilities." I looked up and nodded at Foster, quickly falling back into my more professional role. Anna had been on the forefront of my mind for the past several days and I found myself thinking about her a lot, sometimes at the most inappropriate of moments. When I was in a meeting with my employees or high-end clients, for example.

I sat down in my luxurious leather seat and crossed my legs, running my hands over the arm rests and enjoying the distinct smell of leather. I then put my elbows on my desk and pulled my laptop towards me. It was a sleek-looking new one and according to Foster it was so powerful I could play video games on it if I wanted to. He'd even offered to install something called 'dota' for me but I had refused, unsure what it even meant. Instead Kristoff had come into my office and set up a World of Warcraft account for me, adding me to his friend list. I had tried playing a bit but I had never played video games in my life so it took some getting used to. There was another 'training session' scheduled for that evening, because apparently the 'guild' needed a healer. I rubbed my temples. _Whatever all of that means._ I resisted running my hands through my hair because I'd most likely mess up the tight bun my hair was pulled into. I always wore it like that at work these days.

I checked the clock on my wall. Another half an hour before Idunn and Agdar would come over for a meeting on the merger of the companies. It had already gone through and they were officially employees of Holter & Shields now. I scrunched up my nose. First chance I got, I was changing that name. Anyway, there were a few things that we still needed to talk about and the couple had offered to bring in lunch as a way of making peace for that horrendous dinner two weeks ago. I hadn't seen them since and had been psyching myself up all morning. _Just don't get mad at them. Idunn didn't mean to hit Anna._

As soon as my laptop had finished booting (which took a lot less time than I was used to) I saw a text bubble appear on the right side of my screen. I clicked it, it was from Henry - my assistant. When Anna had learned that I was now officially looking for an assistant she had pushed me to hire her teammate, because apparently he had experience working as a personal assistant but he would also serve as a bodyguard. It hadn't sounded like a terrible idea and so I had decided to hire the young man, much to Anna's delight. And judging by the slightly distraught phone call I had received from his previous employer when Henry had given notice, he was good at his job. Today was his first day. We'd see how good he was.

I quickly saw the notice he had given me wasn't a personal message from him, but more a notification that he was now allowed to change my agenda without my consent. I shrugged. Fine by me. When I opened up my schedule however, I raised my eyebrows. The rest of my week was made up of large coloured blocks and consisted of meetings, appointments, visits... I even saw a grey block which said 'Employee Evaluation' and had a clip attached to it. I clicked it and a text file popped onto my screen. It was a thorough report, made up by the department head who overlooked the interns. Apparently one of them, name unknown, hadn't been performing well and needed a kick up the behind - or maybe I needed to even fire this employee. _Oh shit, it's not Jeanie is it?_ I scanned the report and saw several mentions of 'him' and 'his' so I blew out my breath.

_Okay, let's look at today first._ There was a green block for my appointment with the Almstedts, but before that there was a thin blue slot that said 'meeting with Henry'. I raised my eyebrows and pressed a button on my intricate phone set. It only took a few seconds before a voice sounded through. "Good morning, Miss Shields. How can I help you?"

"I just opened up my schedule and see we have a meeting planned." I smiled, but then realised he couldn't see me. "Come on in."

I leaned back in my chair and looked around at my office. I grinned. _My office._ It wasn't huge, but spacious enough to fit my large desk and chair, two black sofas around a coffee table, several large cabinets and a few bookshelves. To my left was a large square window looking out onto a still bright white world with snow slowly descending onto either grumpy commuters or ecstatic children. There used to be drapes in front of it, giving the whole office a bit of a musty old feeling (and the ancient furniture hadn't helped either). I had changed everything into a more modern style with a lot of black and white, except for my father's old desk. Where there was colour, it tended to be blue - however I caught myself ordering window shutters for the front of my office in a dark green colour that reminded me of Anna's favourite shirt.

A sharp knock on the cloudy glass pane of my office door made me sit up straight, my hands folded in front of me. "Come in, Henry." The door opened and Henry stepped through. I had met him once before and he looked now as he did then, although slightly more professional. His thick black hair had been styled to one side and he gave me a startling white smile. He wore a suit, a black one, with a light blue tie. I smiled at him. "Looks like we match." I stood up and extended my hand. "Good to see you again, Henry."

He took my hand and then sat down in one of the two seats across from my desk. His grey eyes were friendly and I was very glad he was looking at me that way. I had seen him fight a week before and the only thing that had played through my mind at that moment was 'shit I'm glad he's on our side'. He was fast on his feet and his punches and kicks were... well, packed a punch. A smirk shot across my face at my own internal pun and Henry smiled as well, revealing those dazzling white teeth again.

"Maybe you should text me your choice of clothing each morning so I can adjust my attire accordingly," the boy joked. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or not, so instead I stuck with my professional smile. Henry didn't seem fazed by the lack of reaction. "Okay miss Shields, I took the liberty to reserve a bit of your time to have a meeting about your expectations for me and the such. I have already gone over my contract with Human Resources and that's all in order, but seeing how it's my job to assist you in all your work I need to... get to know you a bit better, so to say." His eyes delved into mine and it was making me a little bit uncomfortable. _He's not hitting on you, relax._

"Well Henry, I'm very glad you set this time aside for us. And I'm going to be very honest with you, I have no clue what is going to happen over the next few weeks. The past two weeks have been very chaotic with me moving in here, signing paperwork, going over contracts... today is the day I actually take up office, as you know." The boy nodded, leaning back in his chair with his tablet at the ready. Something about his demeanour still bothered me. He was too relaxed, too familiar.

"One of the things we need to be very clear on is our relation to each other. We both know Anna, and you have seen me at Mulan's warehouse before. However you are first and foremost my personal assistant and around the office that must be very clear." Henry frowned but he shifted a bit more upright in his chair, looking slightly uncomfortable. _Okay. That's better. Now for the recovery. _I sighed. "Well, with that out of the way, let's return to business. I had a look at my schedule and I'm already extremely happy to have you around. I would've drowned the next few days without your work." I smiled and Henry's eyes lit up again. _Okay, I think that's a good starting point for our professional relationship._

We spent the rest of our time discussing several topics, including security. Henry had already heard a few things from Anna but I made sure that we were both on the same page. I checked my watch. The Almstedts were probably almost here. Henry looked up from his tablet and at me. "Okay, so to summarize. People are always to come through me and when I don't recognise them I will escort them into your office. Foster installed a button for me to unlock your door from my desk, it'll be locked continuously." He glanced over his shoulder at the door. "I already put an order in with Foster to make sure your windows are bulletproof, he said the glass setters should be here tomorrow."

I raised my eyebrows. _Bullet proof glass? Damn._ "Are you sure that's necessary?"

The boy nodded. "Even though your friend with the police couldn't find a direct link between Richard Worth and Killigan, even the slightest implication of a connection was enough to send Anna and your lieutenant friend into a frenzy. Which tells me it's not a bad precaution. I'd rather have made a few too many adjustments that weren't needed than forgetting about one that turns out to be the one that kills you." My throat clenched and I felt ice creep up my throat at that sentence. Henry noticed the change in my face and quickly continued, a smile on his face. "Don't worry, I'll be outside whenever you're at work. They won't be getting past me." I knew he was trying to be reassuring, but he just seemed a bit too slick to me. _Definitely not my type._ Henry glanced at his tablet again, tapping rapidly with his fingers. "And I can't tell anyone else about any of this, right?"

"Not yet. Not until I've done some digging myself. There is a connection between Holter and these people, I just need to find it."

Henry frowned, then shrugged. "Well I'm afraid Holter did a lot of his business in hard copy, so there probably won't be a digital paper trail. Especially if he's been into criminal stuff. You'll have to do a lot of digging."

I thought about that for a moment. "Can you please schedule a meeting with Jeanie for me? Jeanie the intern?"

Henry tapped on his tablet, probably pulling up my schedule. "Well you have quite a busy few days ahead of you, so if you need to see her this week I can schedule for the two of you to have lunch the day after tomorrow."

"That sounds good, please schedule her in. I'll order something for lunch."

"I will order some katsu don and sushi for you from that new Japanese place around the corner, they're supposed to be really good." His fingers flew over the tablet and then he looked up at me, showing off his white teeth. "The Almstedts should be here any minute, do you want me to show them in as soon as they arrive?" I nodded and the man got up, straightening his tie. "Thank you miss Shields." He made a slight bow and left the office with me staring after him for the whole way. _Did he just bow? I think he did._

I played around with some of the new programs I was going to be working with whilst waiting for the Almstedts. My phone buzzed and I looked at the screen, a smile appearing on my face. "Hey Munchy, how are you? Is Henry acting cool?"

My fingers moved deftly over the keys, typing in an answer and sending it within a few seconds. "I'm great! Hope you're doing good too. Henry is acting cool. I'm about to meet with your parents. Miss you."

I looked down at the screen. _Hm, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned her parents._ My screen lit up again. "Oh okay, that's nice. Don't tell them hi from me. I miss you too."

The text made me smile, but the realisation I had only seen my girlfriend twice over the past two weeks left me feeling sad and lonely. I had gotten used to Anna's presence and things seemed very quiet without having her around. Most days I was at the office until late, taking care of the thousand and one things that needed to be done (and still hadn't finished) and when I got home I was exhausted. Anna in turn had been doing a lot of late shifts, which left me with the same question every night for the past two weeks - 'who is in the lobby?'. Sadly it had only been Anna once and it had been training night, so I had tagged along to the warehouse where I'd observed some of Anna's teammates working out. Anna couldn't join them because of her hand but she seemed content to just point things out to me. 'Look, that's a round kick. It's very useful when you do it with your front leg, but when you just swing your back leg forward it can be a bit slow and your opponent might counter before you can even reach them.' I had no idea what she'd been talking about exactly but I was just happy sitting with her, our arms entangled.

The other nights it had been either Kristoff, Sven or Mulan waiting for me. Henry had offered to take over a few nights but like I had told him today, he was my PA first. I couldn't just bring him home like that. There had also been a few nights where I went home alone, but I hadn't told Anna - I knew she would probably ditch work to come protect me and seeing how nothing had happened over the past two weeks I figured just one evening every once in a while couldn't hurt. Plus, I was busy looking for a new place - my current apartment just reminded me too much of the solitary existence I had been leading.

I quickly punched in another message whilst I heard voices outside my door. Probably the Almstedts. "I'll see you soon, I promise. Things should settle down a bit soon. Otherwise Henry will just schedule you in. Are Max and Sitron okay?" The cats had been trusted to Kristoff and Anna and were living in the former's apartment.

"They've been complaining a lot and refuse to sleep anywhere else but on top of Kristoff, but otherwise they're fine. I have to go, patient." Henry's voice crackled through my phone set as I put my Blackberry down on my desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Almstedt are here, Miss Shields." I heard the electronic lock on my door click and a muscle in my jaw twitched. _All these security measures are making me feel like a prisoner._

I stood up when Idunn and Agdar entered the office and moved around my father's desk (_no, my desk_) to greet them. Idunn embraced me briefly and Agdar put a fatherly hand on my shoulder. _Please don't,_ I thought, but I just smiled and gestured around me. "So, what do you think?"

"It looks amazing, Elsa. You've really done a good job redecorating the place." Idunn pointed at the window. "I'm glad you got rid of those terrible drapes." I smiled and gestured them over to the sofas surrounding the low table in front of the window. _They must've met with Holter here before. And now it's me acting the CEO part._

Agdar quickly sat down and put the plastic bag he'd been carrying down in front of him. "Idunn wanted to bring homemade sandwiches, but with Gerda gone I thought it'd be safer to get some from a restaurant." He smiled affectionately at his wife. _Well, at least they love each other._ I sighed and closed my eyes, smoothing out my pencil skirt as I sat down. _Stop it, Elsa._

Idunn sat down next to her husband and smiled at me. I could see she was slightly uncomfortable but I didn't feel like calming her down, so I just crossed my legs and waited for either of them to speak. Agdar was busy unpacking our lunch, so Idunn eventually spoke up.

"I want to apologise again for the other night. It was all a bit... uncomfortable." Idunn folded her hands in her lap. Her outfit mirrored mine only hers was black. Agdar wore a black suit as well, which reminded me of the one Henry had been wearing but this one had a slight striped pattern. Together the couple looked like they were on their way to a funeral.

"I don't know if uncomfortable is the word you're looking for, dear." Agdar spoke softly, finishing setting out the lunch. Everything was meticulously placed like he'd needed to keep his hands busy. Sure enough, once even the napkins had been placed square on the table he started wringing his hands and looked at me. "What you saw wasn't our family. It's just that our daughter and us, we... have a difficult relationship."

Idunn quickly continued, nodding at her husband's words. "Yes, we hadn't seen her in a while but we really wanted to introduce her to you."

"Why, so I could be a role model to her?" I hadn't meant to be that straightforward, but Idunn especially was... pissing me off, Anna would say.

Idunn looked at her husband for support but he wasn't looking at her so she turned back to me. "Well yes. And no. I mean we know she's still adamant about becoming a doctor but..."

I raised my hands. "Ok, hold it right there." I leaned forward, my forearm resting loosely on my knee and my other hand pointing straight at Idunn. "Anna is going to be a doctor, and a great one at that. I can't think of any place she'd be more at home than in the ER, saving people's lives. She's great at taking care of people. She'd make an absolutely terrible lawyer and if you haven't seen that then you have no idea who your daughter actually is."

The couple stared at me, a shocked expression on both their faces. Agdar was the first one to speak up after he cleared his throat. "So you have been hanging out with our daughter since the dinner?"

I nodded and immediately Idunn shifted forward in her seat, her eyes full of hurt and concern. "How is she?" That one question was so full of raw emotion I instantly felt my anger melt away. This was a mother who loved her daughter, even if she didn't always show it.

I leaned back again, realising I had been sporting quite an aggressive posture. "She's... doing fine. She was quite a mess after that night, but she seems to have recovered and is back at the hospital, running night shifts."

Idunn placed a hand over her eyes for a moment before looking back at me, shifting her hand to cover her mouth. "She stayed at your place after that evening? I know she has her own room somewhere in town, but we have no idea where and..."

Agdar put his hand on his wife's lower arm and she fell silent, a single tear running down her cheek. Agdar mostly seemed tired, his eyes heavily lidded. "Thank you, Elsa. For taking care of our daughter after the dinner."

_Actually we've known each other for a bit longer. Did you know I'm dating her? Yeah, she's gay. Like me._ I sighed and smiled, keeping my inner dialogue just that. Inner. "She's a lovely girl, it's no problem whatsoever. Now, I must say I'm quite hungry."

* * *

My eyes caught a glimpse of Merida's bright red hair through the crowd. She had tried tying it down into her neck but several strands still sprang in all directions. It was very curly and the short locks she hadn't been able to wrestle into the elastic band made it look like she was sporting a ginger afro.

When I finally caught up to them Merida and Henry shuffled apart slightly, giving me room to sit in between them. I sat down and smiled at them. "What's this, a protective sandwich?" Henry glanced through the crowd, then looked at me with an off-centre smile on his face.

"Well I like my job, can't have my boss being assassinated."

I just laughed and shook my head. It'd been two months and nothing bad had happened. I hadn't even heard from Hans and the messages I received from Holter were related to work and usually came through our PA's. It had relaxed me a bit, but I was still wary. It was like Ed said; they might just be waiting for the moment I let my guard down. Henry and I had taken up the habit of cracking small jokes on the subject, but my own personal secret service remained vigilant nonetheless.

Merida seemed a bit bored as she lazily scanned the crowd. She let her head fall back and groaned. "I'm so bored!" I glanced at her and had to suppress a giggle. The girl was a lot younger than me at only eighteen years old and still had a few mannerisms retained from puberty. Or so I thought. Maybe this was just her normal demeanour. The girl looked at me with her brown eyes. "I don' think anyone is gonna be choppin' yer head off with so many people around. Specially since they're people who can kick yer ass to kingdom come." Her Scottish accent caught me off guard and I chuckled.

"I think you're right, Merida. Nothing is going to happen here." _Only Anna fighting people. Throwing punches. Receiving punches..._ I sighed and frowned. I really wasn't looking forward to it, but it meant a lot to Anna that I was here.

Henry glanced at his phone and grunted before conjuring a dazzling smile on his face and looking up at the crowd, his eyes looking for his girlfriend Cindy. She was sitting in the front row, bouncing up and down and waving. When she saw me looking she waved at me as well, but then her face fell. Henry chuckled softly. "She's angry that you're allowed to be down on the court but she has to sit up there."

"She doesn't know about Hans and Richard does she?"

Henry laughed. "Nah. It's not that I don't trust her, I love her and would put my life in her hands - but if she knew about that she'd probably never let me leave the house again." He put on a high voice. "'Henry are you crazy? That's dangerous!' She'd never let me hear the end of it." He looked me up and down and softly squeezed my upper arm. "You could pass as a competitor though, working out with Kristoff has really done you some good."

"Shut up, Henry." I felt my face tingle a bit at the unexpected compliment and embarrassment it brought. I had caught myself standing in front of the mirror that morning, looking at the changes in my body over the past two months. I wasn't muscular like Anna, but my body was certainly more toned.

I ran my hand across my jaw line, ending the movement by pressing my fingers to my mouth. Henry had learned how to read my body language a bit so he kept his mouth shut, but Merida wasn't as considerate.

"Bloody hell, how much longer is this gon' take?" She had put on a sweater similar to mine over her martial arts suit, her red belt hanging out from underneath it. Anna also had a red belt, but hers had a small black stripe on the end of it - the last degree before the black belt, apparently. Henry beat them both and already had his second degree black belt. He liked to playfully exert his power over the two girls every now and then, but after I had reminded him that it was his boss' girlfriend he was talking to he had lessened his assaults on Anna.

He still enjoyed teasing Merida, though. "You could've just entered the competition as well, instead of sitting here with us."

Merida scoffed. "Ye know as well as meself that I don't stand any chance at the moment. And ye know that I enjoy jumping more than fighting. Sir." She glared at him and Henry shrugged.

"It's a part of the sport, but I understand. It's not for everyone. But still, it has to be said you're doing very well in training." I wasn't sure whether he was being friendly or condescending, but decided not to meddle. I was the new factor here, these people had been training together for years.

"Well I sure beat yer ass the other day." Merida grinned and reached behind my head to shove the boy in the shoulder. Before Henry could retaliate however, a voice came over the speaker and all three of us looked up. "That'll be Anna's pool," Merida muttered. She got up and pulled me with her, weaving her arm through mine. "Let's go watch."

I let myself be dragged through the large crowd of martial artists to the length of crush barrier that was closest to the heightened middle field. I raised my eyebrows. "She's going to be fighting on top of that?"

Merida nodded as Henry appeared on my other side, leaning onto the barrier. He gestured at the field. "Anna's category is one of the most spectacular. She opted to fight in the pool of black belts rather than her own." He saw my face and grinned. "She's really good."

My pocket vibrated and I pulled out my Blackberry. "Look up," the text said. I turned around and it only took me two seconds to make out Kristoff and Sven sitting down on the bottom bench. We waved at each other for a moment. _I'm really glad they made it, it'll do Anna good. Hell, it does me good._

I saw Anna appear to my left, Mulan walking a pace behind her. There was a group of about eight contestants walking towards the centre stage and I eyed all of them. Most were Anna's length and build. _They're in the same weight class, that must be it._ I had learned a few things over the past two months but I wasn't completely up to speed, only attending a few training sessions in which I was way too occupied with Anna to pay a lot of attention to the things the others were doing.

The group of young women sat down on a set of benches behind the stage. Anna sat down on the edge of one so she could look around the platform to where I was, but a referee came along and ushered her to the middle. Anna managed to send me a quick smile before disappearing out of sight.

* * *

"Damn I'm bored." Anna was sitting on the kitchen counter in between a few cardboard boxes, dangling her feet downwards.

I had my focus on my laptop, which was sitting in front of me on the kitchen island. I shifted slightly on my barstool. "Sorry Anna."

"They say it's going to get warmer again next week. All the snow will melt." She crossed her arms. "I want to build a snowman or something."

I formed a few words with my mouth, jotting down a few notes on a pad to my right whilst glancing at the text bubble that appeared on the edge of my screen. It was from Henry. Slightly agitated I clicked on it. 'Your brother was just here again. Do you need me to alert security so he doesn't get in again?'

I rubbed my eyebrows and typed a response. 'No that won't be necessary. If he comes in again tell him he needs to make an appointment.' I rolled my shoulders and rubbed my neck with my hand. Kristoff had been riding me at the gym yesterday and I felt like I was way too sore to be doing this boring CEO work. Especially sitting on a barstool. _I need to buy a proper desk and chair for my new place._

I looked up, slowly processing the fact Anna had been talking to me. She now hopped off the counter and leaned onto the island across from me, allowing me a clear view of her cleavage. I swallowed heavily and quickly focused back on my screen. "Come on, Elsa. Let's go build a snowman."

"Go away, Anna." I had been telling her for over an hour that I needed to prepare for tomorrow and that she could do whatever she wanted without me, but my books didn't appeal to her. I had even suggested she take a bath, but the girl seemed adamant to do something with me.

The redhead now huffed and decisively walked over the door, grabbing her coat on the way. "Okay, bye!" she sneered, before disappearing out of the door. My fingers were hovering over the keyboard, my brain trying to process what had just happened. _She didn't just leave. Did she? She'll be back._ I kept staring at the door a moment longer but then shook my head.

I ran my hands through my hair and shook it out over my shoulders. I plucked at a strand of my pink wool sweater and adjusted the neckline so it would tickle a bit less. It was a Sunday so there was no work, but I had a ton of things lined up for the next two weeks. Including a move. My eyes roamed across the room, again taking in how empty it felt. Most of my books had been packed up and the kitchenware had also been put into boxes.

Oh right, work. I opened up my e-mail and saw an e-mail from Ed Masters. I scanned the page and then angrily clicked it away without sending a reply. _You've been telling me you can't do anything without starting a formal investigation for six weeks now. Stop reminding me._ The lieutenant had been able to do a bit of digging though. He had found out that Hans indeed worked for Richard Worth, but he hadn't been able to connect them back to Duff Killigan. Worth was mostly affiliated with lighter criminal activities like burglary, whilst Duff Killigan had been linked to several unsolved murders. They'd never found enough evidence.

I was halfway through a legal document when I heard a low thud at my door. My gaze jerked up and my heart sped up a bit. _Please tell me it's Anna._ I heard a key turn in the lock and I calmed a bit. _Only my secret service has a key._ Sure enough, the door opened and I saw Anna come in. My jaw dropped however when I saw what she had in her arms.

"Anna! You can't just..." I stood up, my hands in my hair and my mouth open in shock.

"If you won't come outside, outside will come to you." She put the bucket of snow down on the floor. "We're building a fucking snowman."

"Oh Jesus Anna. Okay, let me just... We'll go outside. Just please put that bucket outside before you get water everywhere."

Anna crossed her arms. "I'm not moving until you've closed that laptop and put on a coat and boots." I didn't need any more motivation than that and soon we were walking out the front door, Anna happily bounding alongside me with the bucket of snow in her arms.

"Let's build it here," Anna exclaimed happily. She immediately turned the bucket upside down and knelt down in the thick layer of snow, forming it into a round shape with her gloved hands. I walked over to her, pulling my legs up high out of the measurable amount of snow that covered the streets. It reached to halfway up my calves and I counted myself lucky that I owned a pair of high leather boots.

I squatted down next to Anna, not sure what to do. I blew into my hands and rubbed them together. It was several degrees beneath freezing and I was tired, which always made me slightly more cold. For once, Anna seemed to be less bothered and was happily slapping snow onto the rapidly growing base of the snowman. "Come on Elsa, get started on the middle piece!"

I formed a ball of snow in my hands and started making it bigger, rolling it over the ground in large circles. A blush formed on my cheeks and I laughed at Anna, who had a focused look on her face which seemed better suited for mathematical issues rather than snowman-building.

"What are you laughing at?" Anna threw a handful of snow at me and I dodged it, surprising myself with my reflexes. I thought about retaliating but I was afraid I'd lose my growing ball of snow. _Just you wait, Anna._

"Is the bottom done? I think this piece is," I said. Anna nodded happily and I put the middle piece on top of the bottom one. "I'll go roll the head, you make sure that one's on solid."

"Wow Munchy, you've really turned into a CEO. Giving orders, approaching everything so efficiently." I didn't need to glance at Anna to know she was joking. We'd both gotten a lot better at reading each other's voices over the past six weeks, seeing how most of our communication still was via phone. Anna had been incredibly patient with me, understanding that I simply needed to put a lot of time into the company right now. I grinned and glanced over at the redhead, who was fortifying our snowman with extra snow. I had promised her a big surprise as soon as I got through these first few months and it had been very hard keeping it a secret from her. _The tickets aren't dated, we can leave as soon as there's time._

"Is the head done?" Anna got up, cleaning the snow off her knees. "Come on, put it up there!" She clapped her hands and gestured excitedly at the snowman. _For someone who doesn't like cold she sure loves snow._ I lifted the head up and held it in place as Anna strengthened this connection as well, padding it with snow. She stepped back and giggled. "Now he looks like Kristoff."

I stood next to her and looked at the incredibly thick neck the snowman had. I nudged her in the ribs, chuckling myself. "That's not nice." I took the carrot out of my pocket. "Want to do the honours?" Anna took the carrot from me and carefully pushed it into the snowman's face, bracing the back of his head. I dug up two sticks from the bushes and pushed them into the snow, serving as arms.

"Look Munchy, it's Olaf!"

I laughed and squatted behind the snowman, grabbing his arms and making a silly voice. "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Anna laughed and knelt down as well, hugging the snowman. We locked eyes and I could see the warmth in them and knew it was reflected in my own. My heart went out to her. Her beautiful red hair, the freckles that I knew spread across her face, shoulders and possibly lower. The depth in her green eyes which now seemed slightly blue as they reflected the white around us.

Slowly I scooped up some snow in my right hand and suddenly pushed it into Anna's face. The girl shot up, sputtering and wiping the snow off herself. "Oh now it's war!" She formed a quick snowball and flung it at me, hitting me on the shoulder. I threw a handful of snow at her but it dispersed in the air and Anna let out a fake maniacal chuckle. She'd been introducing me to superhero movies on the rare nights we could spend together and I quickly thought back.

"Is that your brilliant plan for world domination, villain?" I dodged a snowball but suddenly felt one on the back of my head. I looked around and saw a chubby kid, perhaps ten years old, his hand still in the air from throwing the snowball at me.

Anna laughed loudly and started chasing the kid around. "You know nothing of my evil genius, woman!" she yelled as she rubbed some snow into the boy's hair. "Nor does your sidekick!"

"We will thwart your plans no matter what! Won't we?" I shouted at the boy, who let out a high pitched laugh before rushing to my side and throwing a snowball in my face. "Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!"

Anna laughed again. "Come to the dark side, little boy!" She then rushed me, pressing a large amount of snow in my face. I hadn't seen her coming so I lost my balance and fell backwards, Anna landing on top of me. Our fall was broken by the thick layer of snow and I heard it crackle all around me, melting against my neck.

My already sore muscles were crying out as I tried pushing Anna off but she didn't move, a heated expression on her face that seemed to be from more than just the snow fight. Before I could think about it however, she reached to the side and shovelled a large amount of snow onto me, covering my entire face. She then rolled off me and I shot up, exhaling sharply to get the snow out of my nose. "Damn you, Anna!"

I suddenly heard her voice quite close to me. "Maybe I don't want to dominate the world. Just you." I frowned, slightly confused, as I wiped the last bit of snow off of my eyes. Anna had already gotten up and was chasing the chubby boy around, throwing small hands of snow at him.

"Russel!" An unknown voice came from the street and I looked up to see a smiling woman standing there, the leash of a golden retriever in one hand and the other one extended to the boy. "We have to go, dear."

The chubby boy threw one last snowball at Anna as I got up, trying to get the snow off of my clothes. The boy then sighed. "Yes mom." He waved at us and ran over to his mom, grabbing her hand. Both me and Anna looked on affectionately as the pair walked away, the boy skipping and the mom trying to get the snow out of his hair.

Anna turned to look at me and laughed into her glove. "We killed Olaf." I looked behind me and saw we had crushed the snowman with our fall earlier. Even his nose was cracked in two.

I rubbed my shoulder. "So that's what was poking my shoulder," I laughed.

The doorman made us clean ourselves off a bit before he let us back into the building. We ended up just leaving our coats downstairs to let the snow melt whilst we rushed back up, looking for warmth. I missed the greeting sounds of my cats when I pushed open the door but knew I'd see them again soon when I visited the boys.

"Oh crap, it's already late. I need to get going, I'm working tonight." Anna stomped her feet on the doormat outside. "Can I borrow a coat off you?"

I glanced at the clock. On my way up I had been entertaining the thought of having a shower, which might have included Anna. The thought of being... close to her had been scaring me less and less over the past six weeks. The idea of turning thoughts into reality started getting exciting instead of just terrifying. I sighed. "Sure you can borrow a coat. Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

Anna checked the clock as well. "Nah that's okay. Henry should be here soon to take over for me anyway and I have his key." _Right, the head of my secret service decided that we shouldn't make too many extras. The head of my secret service being Anna of course._ Henry had started taking up a few shifts of protective duty in which we tended to just get a lot of work done on my CEO duties. I didn't mind the help.

She moved over to give me a quick kiss on the lips, but before she could pull away I rapidly put my arms around her shoulders, pulling her against me. _Elsa, what are you doing?_ Anna let out a surprised little yelp but soon after her hands were running through my messy hair and I felt her lips part slightly. _Elsa, stop._ I flicked my tongue out to lick her lower lips but I was met by her own tongue, probably on its way to do the same to me. _Okay Elsa, continue._

I felt heat rush up to my face and my heart was pounding through my entire body as I ran one hand downwards, digging my fingers into her lower back. Suddenly Anna made a sound and put her hands on my chest, pushing me away. My vision steadied slowly and I looked at Anna's flushed face. Her cheeks were lit up and her lips were still parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Holy shit, Elsa."

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just felt like doing it."

Anna laughed and rubbed her face. "I'm on my way to work. Damn you, Munchy." She looked up at me with a heated expression that made the hairs in my neck stand on end. "I'll be thinking about that kiss for a while. Damn you. And I'm meeting my parents afterwards, where I have to pretend you're just a friend of mine." She ran her fingers over my cheek in a swift motion, before grabbing a coat and opening the door. "Damn you," she said with a smile on her face before she slammed the door.

I inhaled deeply and blew my breath out. I moved back to my laptop. _Right, work. Work. Think about work._ Of course my mind wandered back to Anna. I raised an eyebrow when I remembered what she had said outside. _Dominating me instead of the world? What was that about?_ I opened up my browser and started a search. Soon my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline and I felt my face flush again. "Oh."

* * *

I checked the time on the clock above the door to my office. I had twenty minutes left before the Almstedts would be here to give me an update on how and what they'd been doing over the past weeks. The conclusion of that meeting would also start my weekend with two rather important things happening. Tomorrow would be Anna's tournament and on Sunday was the big formal that Mr. Andrews had invited me to. I was rather nervous for both.

My desk phone rang and I waited a few seconds before picking up. _Please, no extra work._ "Miss Shields."

"Hey Elsa, this is Jeanie." I sat more upright, immediately focused on the call. "I just called to let you know that I've been digging into Richard Worth and Hans. Turns out he's his son! So his full name is Hans Worth. Silly name, isn't it?"

I frowned, trying to quickly switch my brain from 'CEO-mode' back to the separate investigation Jeanie and me had been working. She had volunteered to transfer to the other building where Holter now worked, in order to 'increase her spy-efforts'. I hadn't heard from her in a while so it was good to hear her voice and know she was alright. "Yeah, it sounds silly." I pinched the bridge of my nose in between my fingers, leaning backwards in my chair and staring up at the ceiling. "What does it mean though?"

"Well the connection between Richard and his son is clearly there, so it just confirms what we already know. But that's not the most important thing I found out." I heard paper rustling and it sounded muffled, like she was in a closed space.

"Jeanie, where are you?"

"The janitor's closet!" she responded happily.

"What on earth are you doing in there?" I shook my head and leaned forward again, putting both my elbows on the desk. "Never mind that. What else did you find out?"

"Well I'm afraid I did find that name in an old case file. Duff Killigan?"

My eyes widened. "What was the case?"

I suddenly heard a noise on the other side of the line, followed by a man's voice. "What are you doing in here?" My heart rate shot through the roof. _Oh god, oh god, please don't hurt her._ I put my free hand flat on the desk, my entire body tensed to get up and call for the army when needed.

"Arnold, leave me be. You can get your broom later." She lowered her voice. "It's spy-stuff." The man said something else which I didn't quite catch, but then I heard the door close. "Yeah so Holter once got Killigan off of a murder charge apparently. He had the evidence stacked against him but Holter was able to convince the jury a key piece of evidence had been obtained illegally."

"Jeanie, what just happened?"

"What do you mean?" The girl sounded confused and I sighed deeply, slightly exasperated.

"That thing with Arnold and spy-stuff."

"Oh that? That was just Arnold the janitor. I let him believe he helps me with my very secret spy work by sometimes getting me into an area I'm not supposed to be like Holter's filing cabinets. Or his janitor's closet."

"Just be careful. And could you get that file to Henry? I'd really like to look it over myself."

"Of course! I'll photo copy it and make sure it's back in Holter's private collection before he even suspects something is off."

"How seriously are you taking this spy-thing?"

"I re-watched all of the Charlie's Angels movies, but I couldn't be bothered to watch the old TV-series. They're just not very believable, you know?"

I rolled my eyes, a faint smile on my face. "Okay Jeanie. Now I think it's time you got out of that closet."

Jeanie giggled. "I don't think I'm the one who needs to get out of my closet, Miss Shields."

Before I could respond to that she had hung up and I was left staring at my phone, attempting to register her last words. "Cheeky little..." I shook my head and put my phone down, glancing at the clock. _Ten more minutes._

A rapid knock on the door made me look up, surprised. Henry never just let people come up to the door. When the door audibly unlocked itself I frowned. _And he definitely doesn't just open the door up for anyone..._ The realisation dawned on me and I smiled. _Ah, of course._

Anna opened the door and stepped inside, her eyes sparkling. I raised my eyebrows as I looked her up and down. "Wow, Anna." She was wearing her hair in one thick braid which she had pulled forward over her shoulder, the same way I sometimes wore it. I smiled. "My suit looks good on you." She was wearing a rich black one with a dark red shirt underneath. It was a t-shirt which hugged her form tightly, clearly visible as she had left the buttons of the blazer open. I wasn't used to seeing the redhead in a skirt but she pulled it off well. _Very, very well._

My mouth went dry as Anna walked towards me and I raised from my chair when she leant onto my desk. "What are you doing here? In ten minutes..."

Anna interrupted me. "My parents will be here. I know." Her voice was low and she looked at me with slightly lidded eyes. My eyes kept flicking up and down her body and face, lingering on some of my favourite areas. I knew Anna noticed and that she knew exactly what she was doing to me. She was usually a bit more tactful about it, though.

We were both leaning on the desk from a different side. Anna slowly moved around it, running her fingers over the wood. _What the hell are you doing, Anna?_ I felt my breath hitch as Anna swayed her hips when she rounded the last corner and positioned herself on the same side of the desk as me. "Anna seriously, what are you..."

Anna pressed a finger to my lips before moving in front of me, so close she forced me to lean backwards onto the desk. I felt heat rush up my neck and face when Anna put her hands on my waist and softly pressed her hips into mine. "I like this new you," she said in a husky voice as she squeezed the muscles in my side. "I'm glad you started working out." She leaned forward but didn't kiss me, instead she skipped my face entirely and ran her tongue across my jaw line all the way to my ear. I felt myself tremble at the sensation and I couldn't help a soft sound escaping my lips.

"Remember that day about two weeks ago?" Anna whispered in my ear, her hands now on my lower back, massaging the muscles. "When we built the snowman?" I nodded feverishly, still not sure whether I wanted Anna to continue or whether I wanted to push her away. I trusted her completely and was a hundred percent sure that she'd never do anything that I didn't want, but what I feared most was the fact that I knew exactly what I wanted. _But her parents will be here in a few minutes._

I was still leaning backwards on the desk, forcing Anna to lean into me in order to reach my ear. She suddenly lifted me up and put me on the desk without any noticeable effort. It made me exhale in a trembling fashion, the unexpected movement eliciting a surprised yelp from my lips.

Anna pushed my blazer off of my left shoulder and let her teeth trail along my collarbone before biting down. It sent a hot flash through my body and before I realised what I was doing my hands had moved up to Anna's shoulders, tugging at her collar. I felt my lower abdomen clench and there was a hotness in my core I had rarely felt before. I didn't even care that my skirt hiked up a bit when I wrapped my legs around Anna's thighs, wanting to pull her closer. I was breathing heavily as she continued to press kisses and soft bites to my shoulder and I leaned forward, my mind set to returning the favour.

However, all of a sudden I heard my desk phone crackle and Henry's voice resonated through the office. "Mr. and Mrs. Almstedt are here for you, Miss Shields. Want me to send them through?" I heard the slight amusement in his voice. Anna had stepped away from me as soon as we'd heard the phone and she was buttoning up her blazer like nothing happened, a neutral expression on her face. I was still sitting on the desk however, my pencil skirt halfway up my thighs and my blazer and dress shirt pushed off my shoulder. My mind was racing so fast I'd already forgotten Henry, but then his voice sounded through the office again. "Miss Shields?"

I quickly got off the desk, straightening out my clothes whilst trying to get my head to stop spinning. Anna had her back to me and was facing the door, sitting on the edge of my desk in a casual manner. I pressed my finger to the button on my phone set when I was sure my clothes were in order again. "Yes Henry, please send them in." I released the button and hissed at Anna. "What the hell was that?"

The door opened and Anna moved over to greet her very surprised parents. I knew they had been talking to each other again but things were still quite tense, so I wasn't that surprised to see Anna just nod at them politely before exiting the office. Soon after my Blackberry told me I had a text message and I glanced down. "That, dear Munchy, is payback. Have fun with my parents. Think of me."

* * *

I licked my lips nervously, drumming my fingers on the crush barrier and moving from one leg onto the other. Henry put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"Those other people were monsters." My voice sounded a bit higher than usual. I had the feeling Henry wanted to reassure me again, but instead he removed his hand. I loved having him as a PA, he was absolutely great at what he did, but it did mean certain barriers had to be held up.

Merida didn't have that issue and she put an arm around my waist, pulling me close. "Ye haven't seen Anna yet. Those other lasses have nothing on 'er." I glanced over at the young woman who had just lost the previous match, sitting on a chair to the side and carefully drinking water from a bottle whilst her coach wafted cold air at her with a towel. _She doesn't look that great. Oh god._

A lot sooner than I had wished, Anna clambered up onto the platform. She was wearing blue safety gear consisting of a helmet, gloves and kick pads. I knew she was also wearing shin padding underneath her pants and her lips were being pressed outwards slightly by the mouth guard she was biting into. Behind me I heard Kristoff and Sven yell loudly, but I was afraid that if I opened my mouth I might vomit.

Anna was jumping up and down a bit, light on her feet and punching her fists together. Her hand had completely healed after a few weeks but a part of me almost wished it would've prevented her from competing in the tournament. I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead down onto my arms. _Don't think that, Elsa. Anna loves this. She wants this. And you'd better well support her._

Merida squeezed my side and I let out a surprised yelp, causing the curly redhead to giggle. "Look, 'er opponent isn't tha' imposing." I looked up at the platform and saw a girl of about the same height and weight as Anna, also jumping up and down and psyching herself up for the fight. I glanced back at Anna and saw Mulan standing behind her, her hands pressing down on Anna's shoulders and her mouth moving rapidly whilst Anna stared at her opponent. _Intimidation technique? _

"How many fights does Anna have?" I asked, my voice coming out more as a squeal than a sound a normal adult would've made.

"Well if she loses it's over and done, but if she wins 'er first two fights she'll end up in the finals." Merida let go of my waist and yelled some encouragement to Anna, her hands cupped around her mouth. Anna didn't glance over.

There were referees on all four corners of the mat, sitting on chairs with what looked like stopwatches in their hands. _No, Anna explained this to me. They use those to keep score._ There were three more people sitting behind a table a bit away from the platform and there was one last referee standing on the mat, calling both fighters towards him now.

Anna turned towards Mulan and gave a short bow before walking to the middle of the mat, bowing at the referee and her opponent. My heart tried clawing its way out of my throat when both women took up a fighting position, the referee quickly doing a check of their equipment to make sure they weren't cheating. Mulan and the other coach sat down on chairs on the edge of the platform, both situated directly behind their fighters.

A young lad next to Henry scoffed. "That girl has nothing, look at her. She doesn't even have a black belt yet." I wanted to speak up but Henry just grabbed my arm.

"Just wait," he said. I turned my gaze back to the platform as Henry leaned over to me. "This girl always attacks with a straight leg attack or punches, all Anna has to do is move aside and counter." The referee brought his hand down and immediately Anna moved to the side, the other girl indeed moving past her. Anna threw a few punches and I thought I saw a few of them hit the other girl in the face, but everything was going so fast I wasn't sure.

"Ha! That's certainly a few points fer Anna!" Merida high-fived Henry over my head while I just miserably looked on. The both girls had moved away from each other a bit and were circling one another, looking for an opening. Merida sucked in her breath. "She's setting up fer a backwards kick, look how she's turning 'er hip forward." I raised my eyebrows and blinked, almost missing the action. The other girl had suddenly moved forward, throwing a few very well-aimed punches at Anna's head - but as soon as she had moved, Anna had switched her weight onto her front leg and moved her back leg behind her other one, hitting the other girl square in the chest with the bottom of her foot.

The girl collapsed as Merida punched the air, jumping up and down. Henry shot a smug look at the boy who had spoke up earlier and I was just staring up at the platform and Anna. The referee ushered her back to Mulan, where Anna knelt down with her head low. I expected her to talk to Mulan but she was silent, Mulan seemingly only giving Anna updates on what was happening behind the redhead.

"Why is she doing that?" I asked Henry.

The man followed my gaze and leaned forward onto the barrier as well, bringing his head to the same level as me. "It's a sign of respect. The other girl is probably fine but as long as there's an indication of injury Anna's supposed to kneel in front of her coach until the fight either continues or is called off. It's just to show that you're not happy that you hurt the other person, if you know what I mean."

I looked at the girl on the floor. She was lying on her side with her coach kneeling at her head. They were talking to each other and when the referee asked the pair a question I saw the coach shake his head. He then moved back to the middle of the mat and yelled something, raising his hand on the side Anna was on. Henry nodded contentedly. "That means she's won."

Anna got up and bowed to Mulan and the referee before moving over to the other girl. She knelt next to her and they shook hands. _They're laughing. What the..._ Anna then shook the coach's hand and helped the other girl to her feet before moving back to Mulan and exiting the platform. I was still a bit confused as to what exactly was going on, but what I had just witnessed seemed to have pulled back a curtain for me. _It's not just people fighting each other. There's respect involved, and discipline. Self control. And then afterwards they shake hands like they've just had a good chess match._ My smile turned into a grin. _Did Anna just do the equivalent of a scholar's mate?_

The pool continued on the platform and I was starting to slightly enjoy myself, trying to figure out the exact rules and moves the fighters were making. There was a lot of tactics involved, not just brawling as I had imagined. There was one moment however when two fighters got too close to the edge and they had lost balance, falling down. The match had continued, one of the two women eventually winning on points as was supposed to happen. Anna had told me before that this branch of martial arts was semi-contact, so a KO wasn't a desired outcome. _Points do sound a lot better_.

The woman who had won had injured her ankle during the fall however and had to excuse herself from her next fight, in which she was supposed to go up against Anna. This meant Anna automatically advanced to the finals, something we were all excited about. My main motivator was still getting Anna in as few fights as possible and this qualified.

Merida bit her lip. "She's going up against the terminator in this last round, isn't she?"

My eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. You know how nervous I am and you say Anna's supposed to fight someone called the terminator?" I gestured wildly at Merida, who just looked slightly bemused as she grabbed my wrists and pulled them down.

"Sorry, Elsa. She isn't called the terminator because she is very good, more because she's... well, a bit mean. Sportsmanship isn't high on 'er agenda." Henry cleared his throat and Merida glanced at him. "Okay fine, she's also quite good. But Mulan will keep an eye on Anna, don't worry. She's gon' be fine."

Anna and her opponent climbed up onto the platform. Anna wasn't bouncing around this time, instead she was standing quite still, not taking her eyes off of her opponent. I felt a chill run down my spine. I had never seen Anna look that terrifying, her eyes that cold. I knew it was an act, a tactic - but it still unnerved me.

Mulan moved behind Anna again, slightly massaging her shoulders and neck. She wasn't talking this time, she was just throwing the same type of glare towards the other side of the platform. Anna alone was scary, the both of them together made me want to run screaming out the door. _I get what was going through those bikers' minds_.

A lot quicker than I liked the girls were facing each other. "Merida?" I swallowed. "What's that girl's actual name? I don't want to think of her as the terminator." Merida whispered the name in my ear and I nodded slowly. "Doreann. Let's call her Dora. Sounds a lot less intimidating." I heard Merida chuckle but my attention shifted back to the mat on which the fight had just started.

Instead of the quick start the last fight had had, both girls stood almost motionless for a moment, just bouncing up lightly on the balls of their feet. Their eyes seemed to still be locked together but their helmets made it hard to make out their faces as they slowly circled each other.

I heard Mulan yell something and Anna immediately responded, making a feint to the left before moving forward, her right leg kicking towards Dora. The other girl blocked the kick however, pushing Anna's leg to the side and immediately moving in for a set of punches. Anna recovered quickly and had her gloves up at her face, joining in on the punch-throwing. They ended up with their arms clenched around each other's necks and the referee separated them, both of the girls calmly moving back a bit. "How can they be so calm?" I wondered out loud.

Henry pointed at Anna. "Her body is relaxed, but it has to be. Otherwise she won't be able to respond as quickly. I promise you, her mind is working in overdrive." The boy focused back on the match when Dora also made a feint with her leg, but she only tapped it down to the ground before kicking at Anna's head. The redhead was barely able to get her hand next to her helmet but despite the extra layer of protection I could see her head snap to the side and I inhaled sharply. Merida put her hand on my arm to reassure me everything was fine, but a large part of me wanted to jump the barrier and run towards the platform.

Anna stayed upright despite the hit to her head, moving away in a big circle from the other girl to regain her composure. Henry frowned. "She's off. What's going on?"

Merida looked around her, her eyes finally resting on me. "Shit Elsa, ye look like you're at a funeral. Please at least pretend you're no' about to faint, Anna 'as probably seen ye and is worried." I blinked and quickly tried to smile. _Anna needs you not to worry for a moment. Can you do that? Just think of something else that makes you happy._ The first thing that came to mind was the previous day when Anna had hiked me up onto my own desk and I felt my skin go red, but it had the desired effect.

In a gesture that surprised everyone around me I brought my fingers to my mouth and whistled sharply. "Whoooo Anna! You can do this! Go go!" I punched the air like I had seen Merida do before. The girl now dragged my arm down, laughing.

"That'll do it, ye." During my short contemplation I had missed a little bit of action and Henry informed me that Anna was a few points behind. Apparently it was nothing a kick to the head couldn't fix though.

I licked my lips and reserved a small portion of my brain to keep my face happy and excited. _At least look the part._ My stomach was bubbling slightly as I watched Dora circle Anna, like some predator stalking its prey. She suddenly moved forward, forcing Anna backwards towards the edge of the field. The referee yelled something as Anna tried to move sideways out of Dora's path, but she almost bumped into Mulan who'd half risen from her chair. Anna let herself fall to the mat to prevent herself from taking her coach down in her fall, causing Dora to stumble as well and in a move that made a ripple of sound pass through the entire hall, Dora brought her foot down onto Anna's head.

A lot of things happened at once. Merida was shouting profanity at the platform whilst Henry was yelling at me. I wasn't sure why until I realised I had one leg over the crush barrier, ready to rush to Anna. However Mulan had already jumped up and stood over the redhead, gesturing wildly and seemingly making some statements that left little to the imagination. _Please be okay. Please be okay._

The referee ushered Dora back to her coach and the girl sat down on her behind, one leg pulled up in a relaxed manner. "Show some bloody respect, ye cunt!" Henry slapped Merida on the back of her head.

"Shut up, Merida. You're wearing our team sweater."

In turn Merida just quickly pulled the sweater over her head, flinging it aside before continuing her stream of curses and insults. My attention was with Anna however, who was rolling from side to side with her arms over her face. _Someone tell me how she is. Show me. Anything. _Mulan knelt down and removed the girl's gloves and mouth guard carefully. A man wearing a reflective vest and a first-aid bag jogged over to the platform but halted at the edge, talking to Mulan. The woman held out her hand and the man threw her an ice pack, but when he started climbing onto the platform Mulan shook her head and told him to leave. _Does that mean it's not that bad? Oh god help me._

Mulan pulled Anna's hands aside and carefully pressed the ice pack to Anna's face. From this distance I couldn't see what was wrong but my palms were sweating. I noticed that Henry was still trying to get me down from the barrier without getting inappropriate with his hand placement, but I didn't bother telling him off. _Please let Anna be okay._

"Elsa!" Merida reached up and slapped me in the face. "Fer fucks sake, come down from there. Anna's fine." I frowned and looked down on the girl, who gestured at the field. "Mulan has it under control. If she'd been worried she wouldn't have told the lad to leave, would she?"

I got down from the fence. _Did she just slap me?_ I blinked and rubbed my eyes, after which I looked at the group of referees which seemed to be discussing what to do next. "Is Dora's going to be disqualified?"

"She should be," Henry said angrily. "That was a foul. The referee had clearly stopped the match, but Dora continued anyway. Anna was on the ground when she stomped on her. If they don't disqualify her I'm going to punch something."

Merida huffed. "Maybe they'll rule it as an accident. They were both off balance after all."

"Yeah but whose fault was that? Dora didn't have to push Anna that far to the edge but she did."

"It's a tactic, Henry. You know that."

Henry just snorted, crossing his arms. The lawyer in me saw the sense in Merida's words, but I was with Henry on this one. That was my Anna up there.

As I looked on, Mulan helped Anna into a sitting position with the redhead's back towards us. Anna gestured something and Mulan raised her eyebrows, but then gave us a thumbs up. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and for a moment I thought I might deflate completely. Then the referees returned to the field and one of them walked over to Mulan and Anna. Mulan listened on before jumping up, an angry look on her face and gesturing in curt motions. Henry moaned. "They're not disqualifying her. What the hell."

I saw Anna get her feet underneath her and pushing herself up, swaying slightly from side to side. She put her mouth guard back in between her teeth and slowly bent over to pick up her gloves. "Holy shit, she's not gon' fight, is she?" Merida shot a look at Henry, who just shook his head. Mulan also noticed her pupil getting up and she walked over to her, pressing her forehead to Anna's and grabbing Anna's helmeted head, talking rapidly.

Anna seemed adamant however and she faced Dora again, moving to the centre of the mat to continue the fight. Someone in the crowd began applauding and soon almost everyone joined in, cheering Anna on. _Well at least the crowd is on her side. I'm more worried about Dora though._

"Damn, she's going all karate kid on her ass." Henry laughed incredulously. "She's absolutely crazy, but you gotta love it." Merida just shot him an angry look and I agreed with her this time. _I don't love this, any of this._ I gritted my teeth. _But Anna needs you now more than ever._

"Anna!" I yelled. The fight hadn't continued yet as the referee was talking to Dora, possibly telling her she was on very thin ice. Anna turned and looked at me. I felt my face slacken when I saw the bruising but quickly regained my composure and sent my girlfriend a beaming smile. "You can do this!" I hesitated for a second. "I love you!"

Several heads turned to look at me but I didn't care as I was solely focused on Anna's bruised but now radiant face. Henry smirked. "I don't think more blood to her face was what Anna needed right now, but you seem to have done it."

Merida now reached up to hit Henry on the back of his head. "Shut up, ye tosser. It's romantic." I blushed.

Anna turned her attention back to Dora, who was now standing in front of her with her glove out. Anna seemed to hesitate for a moment but then tapped it with her own, eliciting a few more approving claps from the audience. _A respect thing? Now? She just stomped on your face, Anna..._ I sighed. _Probably something about being the bigger person or something stupid like that._

The fight started up slowly, with a few punches here and there, but soon it was in full swing again. The hits were now quick and short and I had no idea if there were points being scored anywhere, but according to the two people next to me they were going neck to neck. Henry mentioned that Dora seemed to have really calmed down and was almost careful. Whether it was thanks to the referees' warning or she was feeling bad was left undecided for now.

The fight ended without anything big happening according to Merida, but I had been biting down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. Every time I saw a flash of Anna's face it seemed to have become more red and blue and the fight had been paused twice because Anna had blood seeping out of her eyebrow and needed to be cleaned up.

Both fighters returned to their coaches and Dora knelt at her coach this time, like she was supposed to have done when Anna had been on the ground (according to Henry's loud commentary). Mulan shortly pulled Anna into a hug before setting her down on her own chair, taking off her helmet and pressing the ice pack to the girl's face.

When the referee returned to the middle of the mat the soft murmur of voices in the hall died out. Anna and her opponent moved back to the middle of the mat. Both had lost their helmets and faced the crowd, giving everyone a good view of Anna's injured face. The referee then stepped back and attempted to move Dora's hand up. Merida cursed and Henry slammed his fists down on the crush barrier, but I hushed them. "Look at her, she's resisting."

A lot of people had reacted negatively when they'd seen Dora had won on points but then the girl stepped sideways and took Anna's wrist, bringing the redhead's hand up instead. A lot of people started clapping, including Henry and Merida even though they looked like they'd seen a ghost.

Five minutes later I was striding over to Anna, who was sitting on a chair in the first-aid corner of the tournament hall. She was beaming as far as the bruising and ice pack on her face allowed it. One of the EMTs tried to block my path but Mulan told them to let me through. Henry and Merida waited at a slight distance and Mulan joined them, allowing us some privacy.

I squatted in front of Anna, who slowly lowered the ice pack. "Don't freak out, okay?"

"Why would I freak out?" I said, trying to sound confident - but my voice shook a little from gazing upon Anna's face from this close. When the ice pack allowed me a clear view of Anna's face I blinked a few times but I managed not to react too heavily. Instead I folded my right hand over the one that was holding the ice pack and brought it back to her face. "Bruising like that really needs an ice pack, you know."

I couldn't get the image out of my head though. There was a very angry dark blue and purple spot on the outer side of her right cheekbone between her eye and ear, from which bruising spread out over a large portion of that side of her face. I still had my right hand on the ice pack and sighed deeply. Anna didn't need me to tell her what I was feeling and she carefully leaned forward, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "That must've been terrifying to watch. I'm sorry."

I swallowed, all the emotions I had been feeling over the past half hour trying to squeeze their way out of my eyes. "Don't be stupid, you're the injured one. It's not your fault. Don't say sorry."

Anna pressed her forehead against mine, leaning into it. "Do you know she offered me her medal? I didn't accept it because it was hers and I knew it was an accident." I closed my eyes, my hands on Anna's knees. Anna chuckled softly. "You know what this means though?" I shook my head slightly against hers. "It's going to be hella awkward explaining my face at that formal of yours tomorrow."

* * *

**/I hope you guys enjoyed that one! Not sure when I'll be updating again. Might be tomorrow, might be in 10 days. Life, you know. But don't worry, I have absolutely no intention to stop updating. I'll finish this fic! I don't want to get an angry Australian proofreader hunting me down, those people are dangerous...**


	16. Chapter 16: The announcement

**/Hey guys, I've been finding out about some fanarts people have been making! That's so cool! If you make something, could you please submit it to me on Tumblr? Just because tagging me sometimes doesn't work and I don't get to see it and that makes me very sad because I really, REALLY love it when people take the time to make something for my story. Remember, it's brooke-shutsano on Tumblr as well! :)  
/Also stop being so damn surprised when I respond to your review or PM, I meant it when I said I respond to all of them :P  
/"Okay enough with the ranting Brooke, just get on with it." Ok.**

* * *

**Chapter 16  
**The announcement

Sven grunted as he set down yet another box of books on the floor of my new home. It was Sunday morning and I would have much preferred to be focussing on the formal later that evening, but I needed to move out of my previous apartment and this was the only day available. I glanced at my dress, which was hanging on a bookshelf, dangling precariously from a clothes hanger. Sven had already joked about it once but now he followed my gaze and grinned again.

"Are you sure you won't accidentally hang yourself with all those straps and things?" I glared angrily at him, fidgeting with the shirt I was wearing. I'd started out wearing a sweater but the weather had cleared up immensely and soon I'd been sweating, hauling boxes into the house to the music of a few birds who had come home early from their trip south.

"Stop worrying about my formal, I'm doing enough of that for the both of us." I was panting heavily, filling my nose and mouth with the smell of cardboard, books and wood. I pulled the box Sven had been carrying towards me and put it onto the small stack against the wall. Sven wolf whistled.

"Those muscles look good on you, Miss Shields." He'd been calling me that ever since I took up my new position and I had gotten used to it.

I glanced at my arms. "Behaviour like that is probably what scared your boyfriend away, you know." I smirked at him and he knew I was teasing.

"That was never going to turn into something serious anyway. Plus, now I'm free to chase other options." He winked at me and licked his lip. I just laughed.

"Wow Sven, don't let Anna catch you doing that."

A woman's voice sounded from the doorway. "Don't let Anna catch you doing what?" Mulan stepped through the door, a large duffel bag flung over one shoulder. She looked at the rather large amount of cardboard boxes spread in piles across the room. "And here I am, just bringing two duffel bags." She looked around at the vast living room. "Damn, this place is huge."

I flushed slightly. "Well I own a lot of stuff, and I've cleared out my dad's storage locker. A lot of these boxes contain things that I might just have to throw out, I haven't had the heart to go through them yet." I bit my lip as I followed her gaze around the living area. Mulan was right, it was rather big but the house had been a steal, belonging to an elderly couple whose daughter was desperate to get rid of it. The living room was mostly wide and not very deep, the entire back wall covered with bookshelves.

Mulan dropped the bag and it fell to the hardwood floor with a thud. "Don't worry about it," she laughed. "I'm honoured you're letting me live with you for a while until my financial situation has... settled down." She glanced at Sven, who smiled happily and tried to give the woman a hug. She just stretched her arm out and put her hand on his chest. "No."

I laughed at the disappointment on Sven's face and he scowled at me before moving out the door again, off to grab another box from the back of the truck. Mulan looked at me and smiled, spreading her arms to the side. "So, show me around our place! I've only seen pictures."

I walked over to the black-haired martial artist and she put an arm around my waist. We'd become friends over the past months, my affection for the woman being sparked on enormously by the fact she'd once gotten Anna off the streets. I was happy to do the same to her, getting her out of that warehouse.

We stood with our back to the front door and I gestured to the left, where a door led to another room. "That's the kitchen and dining room. It's all a bit old-fashioned but everything works fine and there's a new fridge." I pulled Mulan to the middle of the living room. "Check out the fireplace!"

Mulan smiled. "Living in the suburbs has its advantages. No noisy neighbours, a garden, a fireplace..."

I nodded happily. There were two large couches facing the fireplace and my rug had been placed in between them, as had my coffee table. I showed Mulan the bookshelves I had let a carpenter build in and the woman seemed interested in my collection.

Sven came walking back in with another box. "This says 'bathroom' on it, where do you want me to put it?"

I walked over to the boy and took the box from him. "I'll take that." I let him load the box over into my arms and walked towards the back of the room, where a wide wooden staircase parallel to the back wall led up to the second floor. The whole bottom floor consisted of just the living room and kitchen, which meant the wall space downstairs was enough to hold all of my books and then some.

Mulan followed me upstairs into a hallway that ran across the length of the house, several doors leading off of it. I nodded at the first one. "Could you get that for me?" She reached past me and pushed the door open, revealing a cosy bathroom. It held an old fashioned bath tub standing on bronze coloured paws, a new shower cabin that I had let someone build in and a wall-high mirror on the other side next to a smaller mirror above a very wide marble sink top. The house was still one big mash-up of old and new, but I was planning some more improvements for the coming months. I'd make it my own.

I put down the box and gestured down the hallway. "The second door is a toilet, the third is your room and the last two are my study and bedroom." Mulan nodded understandingly and moved over to check out her room whilst I went back downstairs to help Sven unload the rest of my belongings._ I really own too many things, we've been at it for hours already._

Another few hours later all boxes had been unloaded, including a few which contained things from my brother I just couldn't seem to get rid of. Handling them had pained me and I wondered whether I had been too harsh on him, telling Henry to just let him make an appointment if he wanted to see me. I shook my head to drive out the thoughts, I had other things to worry about right now.

I tossed Sven the keys to the truck, my other hand shielding my eyes from the sun which was low in the sky. The three of us were standing in the front yard, fresh green grass underneath our feet. The yard wasn't that impressive and consisted of just grass and a big chestnut in the back, but I didn't mind. _Once I have enough time to use it I might buy a garden set and a barbeque, but..._ Sven smiled at us. "Okay, I'll get the truck back to the rental place."

Mulan frowned at me. "Yeah and you should really be getting ready, you have less than an hour before Henry gets here." I swallowed nervously and Mulan got an empathetic look on her face. "So you're telling her parents about the two of you tonight, hm?" I nodded and Mulan suddenly started shoving me inside. "Okay, let's get you ready then. See you later, Sven!"

Sven waved at us as Mulan closed the door behind us. She eyed the intricate dress. "Okay, so we're going to get you into that?" She tilted her head to the side. "Okay you go have a shower, I'll see if I can figure this thing out."

Despite my nerves I smiled and quickly went upstairs. After a hurried shower I leant on the sink, staring at myself in the mirror. My hair hung straight down, soaking wet. I opened up the cupboards underneath the sink and cursed when I realised I didn't have my blow dryer up here. I wrapped a large towel around me, tucking it in on itself, and went downstairs.

Mulan was sitting on one of the couches, the dress spread out next to her. She had her hands running through the large amount of straps and looked up when she heard me. "I figured out the dress!" I smiled at her from halfway up the stairs, making sure the huge towel covered me from high up my chest down to my calves. I then pointed at a box sitting next to the front door.

"I think I put my blow dryer in there, could you grab it for me?"

Mulan glanced over. "Yeah sure. I'll bring it and the dress upstairs and we can work on getting you ready."

_Wait, is she going to help me do everything?_ The idea of someone seeing me in my underwear _(or worse, naked) _made me feel very insecure but I smiled and nodded at the black-haired woman. I quickly went back upstairs and headed to my room at the end of the hallway, adamant to be at least wearing some underwear before Mulan would join me.

My bedroom wasn't very big and most of the space was taken up by a large king-sized bed littered with pillows and blankets. Next to the small vanity that sat against the wall there was a large window that was streaming a bright spot of sun onto the bed, making the white covers look almost silver. I was just pulling my strapless bra into place when I heard a knock on the door. I quickly picked the towel up again and clutched it to my chest, flushing slightly. _C'mon Elsa, it's just underwear._ "Come in!"

The door opened and to my surprise it wasn't Mulan, but Merida peeking around the corner. I frowned, my eyes slightly wide. "Merida? What on earth are you doing here?"

Merida walked into the room, my blow dryer in her hands. "Mulan asked me ter come over. Something 'bout an impossible dress and yer impossible hair." She grinned as her eyes flicked to the towel I was still clutching to my chest. "Anna has been so nervous about t'night, we wanted ter make sure everything would go ok."

The girl's red hair wasn't contained today and it bounced around her face and shoulders. I raised an eyebrow. "Mulan called my hair impossible?"

Merida ran a hand through her hair as she plugged the blow dryer into the power socket. "Aye, compared to her Asian hair yours is impossible. Mine shouldn't even exist." I smiled at the joke as Merida gestured me over to the bed. "C'mon, sit yer ass down. I need to get yer impossible hair dry."

"Shouldn't I put on some clothes first?" I wrapped one end of the towel around myself again.

Merida just looked a bit confused. "We're all women here, aren't we?" The door was pushed open once more and Mulan walked in, holding my dress like it was a time bomb. I relaxed a bit but still had the towel clutched to my chest as I sat down on the bed and felt Merida kneel next to me on top of the blankets, the air from the blow dryer hot on my scalp. She used the blow dryer and a brush at the same time, clicking her tongue. "I'm sure ye hear this all the time, but yer hair truly is beautiful." I blushed a bit but started enjoying the attention I was getting, the brush softly scraping over my skin. _Is this what having good friends feels like?_ Sven and Kristoff didn't really count, I'd never let them blow dry my hair whilst I was wearing lingerie. A few weeks ago I wouldn't have let Merida or Mulan do it either, but the women were so natural and cool about it, I felt I might just make it through this.

Merida put down the blow dryer and started brushing out my hair. After a few seconds she paused however and I felt cool fingers run over my collarbone. My eyes shot open and I flushed a deep red, clasping my hand over the bite Anna had left. Merida laughed so hard she fell back onto the bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. "We're gon' have to cover tha' up with some make-up, tha's gon' be hard ter explain to er parents."

It only took Merida and Mulan twenty minutes to get me dressed up. The black dress was floor-length and had a split running up to just above my knee. It hugged me tightly from my chest down to my hips, where it then fell naturally down to cover my black heels. The straps Mulan had been struggling with were woven together in an intricate pattern on my shoulders and onto my back, where the dress had been left open to show off my pale skin. Mulan and Merida made approving noises as they looked at me, but I hadn't seen myself yet.

"You should really leave your hair down, Elsa. It looks so beautiful that way." Merida fluffed my hair up some more, careful not to mess up the thin layer of make-up she'd put on my face.

"I don't know," I said insecurely. "I'm the CEO."

Merida huffed and pushed me towards my bedroom door. "You might be the CEO but yer also a beautiful woman. No shame in showing tha' off."

I wanted to take a turn at the bathroom to have a look at myself, but Merida blocked my way. "You're running late. Just trust me, okay? You look great." She smirked and winked at me. "And I really approve of your choice of underwear. Black lace, hm? Anna's a lucky lass."

It felt like my face was on fire as I descended the steps to find Henry standing in front of the lit fireplace. The flames bathed the room in a golden glow. The smell reminded me of holidays we had taken when I was very young, up into the mountains. Henry was wearing a full tux and looked absolutely dashing with his hair gelled back and his face freshly shaven. He looked up to me and his eyes widened. "Oh wow," was all he managed to say.

I descended the rest of the steps and found Cindy admiring my bookshelves underneath the staircase. She was wearing a silvery-white ball gown with a matching ribbon in her blond hair. She now looked at me, beaming. "Wow Elsa, you look beautiful."

"As do you, Cindy. Are you looking forward to the formal?" The girl nodded happily as the three of us moved to the door, Henry holding out his arm to his girlfriend. I hadn't met the girl that often and had only spoken to her once, holding a lengthy conversation which seemed to revolve solely around shoes and her obsession with said footwear. I shot a last nervous smile at Merida and Mulan, Mulan smiling and Merida waving happily back at me.

I glanced over at my brand new car and felt a happy flutter in my chest. Yes, I had indulged slightly and bought a rather new model sedan, very similar to the rental car I had used before. I pulled the keys from my clutch and Henry asked whether he should drive, but I scoffed. "Like I'll let you drive my brand new car. You can sit in the back if you like." I winked at the boy and pressed a button on the remote, making the signalling lights flash. I smirked. _Tonight was going to be interesting._

* * *

The sun was low in the sky by the time we pulled up to the manor where the formal was being held. The house reminded me of the Almstedt's old place, but this one was just a tad bigger. It had a very large fountain opposite the front door and everything was lit up, silver streamers everywhere we could see.

The gravel crunched underneath my heels when I got out of the car and handed my keys over to a smiling valet. The smell of pine filled my nose, mixed with different kinds of expensive perfume from the many wealthy women invited to the formal. Henry helped Cindy out of the backseat, her dress hindering her movements. I used my own hands to straighten out my dress carefully. It was a bit tight, but at least I didn't have the risk of getting lost in the layers and ruffles of mine. I moved a hand to my neck but then remembered I wasn't wearing the pearls because they might hinder the straps on my collarbones.

"Miss Shields!" I heard a familiar voice from a bit to my left. There were several cars parked out onto the wide gravel driveway, valets criss-crossing between them and their former occupants. It took me a second to make out Mr. Holter, who was walking over to me with his hands folded behind his back. His tux was flawless and the button on his waistcoat looked only a little bit strained by his imposing belly.

"Mr. Holter," I said as I politely nodded at the man. Henry stepped up and offered his hand to Holter. He used the courteous gesture to mask the fact he was standing slightly in front of me, shielding me in case the man tried anything. An image of the previous night crossed my mind, Anna instructing Henry with very clear language. 'You'll stick with her when I'm not there, got it? And even then you're not to take your eyes off her.' Henry had pointed out that his girlfriend might not approve of him eyeing his boss that way, but Anna hadn't been swayed.

"You must be Henry, Elsa's PA." Holter took Henry's hand, squeezing it visibly. I ran my tongue across the back of my teeth, a flutter of anxiety raising its ugly head inside my chest.

"I am indeed Miss Shields' PA." Henry covered the correction up with one of his toothpaste-commercial smiles, bending down slightly. He was still shaking Holter's hand up and down slowly and I saw both the men's knuckles were white. The way Henry stood there looking down on my co-CEO appeared rather condescending and I could see Holter didn't like it. _Don't irk him this early in the evening, Henry._

I cleared my throat and both men looked at me, finally letting go of each other's hands. "It's a bit chilly outside, what do you men say we head inside? It would be rude not to greet the host upon arrival after all."

Cindy appeared on my other side and took my arm. She squeezed a little tighter than needed and I had to do my best not to smirk. _Don't worry, your boyfriend's protectiveness is for very different reasons than you might think._ Even though I couldn't tell her that, I still wanted to reassure her. I bent over in her direction while Holter nodded and moved away, back to his wife. "Do you see Anna somewhere?"

Cindy glanced around, then shrugged. "I don't see her, maybe she's already inside? She was coming with her parents, wasn't she?" I nodded and took my arm back from her, almost shoving her into the arms of her boyfriend. To be honest I thought the girl was slightly annoying, but Henry seemed positively infatuated with her.

We walked up the shallow steps to the front door, nodding politely at everyone we met on the way. And there were quite a lot of people. I had read in Mr. Andrews's invitation that it was a formal with several big law firms, not just Holter & Shields. It meant a very large amount of very stuck up people in one place. _Hold on. You're one of those stuck up people now. You're the CEO. Act like it._

I lifted up my head and strode through the front door. The warmth inside was welcoming on my back. _Wait, how low does that dress actually go?_ I felt a gust of wind hit the skin on my shoulder blades and run all the way down to the small of my back. The realisation that the dress ended that low made my cheeks light up. _CEOs don't blush. Stop blushing._ I knew it was a V-shape and wasn't very revealing as far as dresses can go, but to me it almost felt like being naked. Especially as it made me wonder how obvious it was that I was wearing a black lace bra. _Mulan and Merida wouldn't have let you leave if it were that obvious... right?_

I felt a warm hand on the small of my back and my head shot to the side but it was just Henry. He bent over to me, smiling and looking ahead of us. "We're holding up the crowd," he whispered. I realised I had stopped walking and let Henry lead me and Cindy further past the front doors and into the large entrance hall. The first word that came to mind was _majestic_. The hall was made up of marble and gold tints. Where the Almstedt residence had a wooden staircase at the back of the hall, here there was a white marble one that was nearly twice as wide and led up to a gallery with a heavy balustrade from which ribbons and garlands hung down over the heavy pillars framing the entire hall.

There was staff everywhere, carrying coats into side rooms and pointing people to where they were supposed to go. Large flower pieces drove away the smell of pine and the tones of Vivaldi's Spring seeped into my ears as a young man came walking up to us, his hands folded behind his back.

"Good evening. May I please take your coats and names?" He nodded his head, not looking either of us in the eye.

I smiled at the young man and touched his shoulder, causing him to start and look up at me. "We're not wearing any coats, as you would have noticed if you had actually looked at us." The boy shot me a nervous smile as I brought both my hands back in front of me. "My name is Elsa Shields and this is my PA and his girlfriend."

The boy's eyes widened. "Miss Shields! In that case, Mr. Andrews has requested you be brought to him." He nodded at Henry and Cindy. "Your companions can proceed to the ballroom."

Henry took his arm from Cindy and moved an inch closer to me. "I will accompany Miss Shields."

I put my hand on his arm. "Henry, I will be fine. This lovely young man will surely make sure I don't get lost or anything." I noticed Cindy's face. "You should escort your girlfriend into the ballroom. I'm sure she'd appreciate a dance."

Cindy's annoyed voice followed me as I was led up the stairs by the footman. I held the hem of my dress in one hand and was once again very aware of the nakedness of my back as I felt several pairs of eyes burn into my skin as I made my way up the marble steps. I had been a bit disappointed that I hadn't been able to make out Anna in the crowd, but I was sure I'd see her soon. I needed to focus on what Andrews wanted of me first.

When we cornered the top of the stairs I took a moment to look down into the entrance hall. There was a continuous stream of people coming in through the front doors and looking down on their heads I felt myself become slightly nervous. This was my first gig as CEO after all and I suddenly felt insecure about my ability to act like one.

The music died down for a moment and I frowned, trying to remember what came next. The sudden burst of heavy cello music caught me by surprise and I felt my breath hitch. _Okay you're more nervous than you thought. Just relax._ The footman led me around the corner and we were now walking across the gallery, allowing me even more of a bird's eye view of the crowd. I halted when I saw the Almstedts come in through the door, my eyes immediately searching for Anna.

"Miss Shields?" The boy who was escorting me noticed I had stopped walking and took a few steps back to stand with me. "Everything alright?"

I frowned, not being able to discern Anna. I glanced back at the boy, who seemed genuinely worried. "Yes, I am fine. Please, lead the way." _You'll see Anna in a bit. Stop obsessing._

The boy gestured me through a heavy wooden door. I nodded my thanks to him and went through. The smell of old books mixed with something else hit me in the face and made me relax. I wasn't sure why the smell was so familiar but I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. Andrews was sitting behind a desk in the back of the small room, surrounded by stacks of documents and books. Deep bookshelves lined the walls and made the room look even smaller than it already was.

"Mr. Andrews, you asked to see me?" I took a step towards the man's desk and accidentally knocked over one of the stacks of books on the floor. The action made a cloud of dust swerve up and I quickly froze in place, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of myself.

The man rose from his chair and quickly moved around his desk, a smile on his face. My eyes flicked to the red silk band tied around his waist underneath his tuxedo jacket, the rich colour standing out against the black and white of the rest of his attire. "Miss Shields, how lovely to see you. And may I say you look absolutely stunning?" The man took my hand and brought it up to his mouth, lightly brushing it with his lips.

"You may." I smiled and took my hand back, resting it next to the other one on top of my clutch.

The man made a faint gesture to the room behind him. "Let's get out of here, the dust is making my nose itch." I followed the man back outside, where we found the boy waiting for me. Andrews nodded at him. "Thank you Charles, I've got it from here. You can return downstairs."

The boy named Charles nodded and shot a last look at me before he disappeared. I followed him with my eyes for a moment whilst Andrews leaned onto the balustrade, looking down into the hall. I stood next to him, unsure whether it was appropriate to ask him to hurry up because I wanted to go back downstairs.

"It has been eight weeks, has it not?" The man looked down onto the bobbing heads of the people underneath us as I put my hands down on the balustrade next to him.

"Yes, eight weeks minus a few days."

The man made a gesture like he was waving away a puff of smoke. "You're probably not surprised to hear I've been keeping an eye on your work so far."

My eyes scanned the crowd once more, looking for red in a sea of black, brown and blonde. _Where is she?_ With difficulty I brought my attention back to the conversation. "I would've been disappointed if you hadn't, Mr. Andrews."

"Please, call me Charles."

My eyes flicked down to the boy who was currently taking a coat from a woman whose hat was so big I could barely see her husband standing next to her. Andrews followed my gaze. "My grandson, yes."

I smiled at the man. "He seems like a nice fellow." I left the question burning on my tongue, unsure whether it was okay to ask. _Why isn't he wearing a tux instead of that monkey's costume?_

"I wish we wouldn't have to discuss work on an evening like this, but I'm afraid it's inevitable." Andrews turned, leaning his forearm onto the balustrade and looking at me. "I would like you to hold a short speech in front of everyone. After all this formal is partly to celebrate your new position."

"I was unaware of that. Thank you." I nodded at the man, the less subtle tones of Mozart now replacing Vivaldi.

"As far as I've heard you've been doing very well so far." The man smiled at me. "Keep this up for a few more months and the board might just choose to let Mr. Holter go." His smile turned into a slight frown. "There is one thing that irks me, however."

"And what is that, Mr. Andrews?" I was growing a bit restless, I really wanted to get downstairs to look for Anna. And even though my secret service was mostly governed by Anna and was usually forced on me, not having anyone at my side to protect me started making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I recently found a young intern going through some files that were quite a way away from her field of work." My mouth went slightly dry. _Okay, act cool and think fast._ Mr. Andrews studied my face. "Would you happen to know anything about this?"

"That's not a lot to go on, Mr. Andrews. Who was this intern, and what was she going through?"

"She was going through some of Mr. Holter's old case files, saying she was trying to learn by studying actual cases rather than her text books."

"I often find that learning from practice rather than theory can be a valuable thing." I managed to keep my face calm and unyielding, sending out a constant smile.

"Quite." Andrews kept eyeing me, studying my face. I became more and more uncomfortable as the silence grew and was glad when he finally broke it. "Tell me, Miss Shields, do you play poker?"

I raised my eyebrows slightly. "I can't say I do, Mr. Andrews. Why do you ask?"

"I think you'd be quite good at it." He looked down at the entrance hall floor, where the crowd was starting to thin rapidly. "It looks like most people are here. I think it's time we joined the party, don't you?"

I nodded my head. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Charles. I must say I'm looking forward to laying eyes on your ballroom, considering how many people it's managing to fit inside. It must be quite grand."

Andrews held out his arm to me. "Well then, shall we?"

* * *

The ballroom turned out to be even more grandiose than I had imagined, with shining hardwood floors framed by pillars. Heavy red drapes span from pillar to pillar high above the crowd, causing the light from the majestic chandeliers to cast shadows along the walls to make the area look more like a gallery than part of the ballroom.

In the back of the room a podium held a medium sized orchestra which was now playing a slower piece of Mozart. I remembered it used to be one of my father's favourites and I was taken back to his study years back, with the smell of candles, tobacco and musty old books. _So that's what Andrews' study reminded me of._

"Miss Shields?" I looked at Mr. Andrews, returning to the present.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" A waft of the most delicious smell filled my nostrils. Somewhere in the room there was chocolate and I was suddenly determined to find it.

Mr. Andrews smiled at me and folded his hands behind his back, nodding. "I suggested you go find your friends. Are you here with someone besides your PA?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. _You're going to tell everyone tonight anyway._ _And this could make for a good dry run. _"Actually yes, I'm meeting my date here."

"Well I'd be happy to meet him. Please allow me the honour of an introduction."

"I'd be more than happy to introduce you to her."

Mr. Andrews didn't even blink, which earned him quite a few brownie points in my book. "Well then I'm looking forward to making her acquaintance. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go and find my wife so we can welcome everyone."

As soon as Andrews left I opened my clutch and took out my phone, being bumped softly in the shoulder every time someone squeezed passed me. _Shit there's a lot of people here_. I had received two messages, both from Henry. _Damnit Anna, where are you?_ I opened Henry's messages. They asked me where I was and whether I was okay, so I quickly typed out a message saying that I was in the ballroom near the entrance. I was just pressing the 'send' button when I felt a warm hand press against my lower back.

I froze in place. For a split second that felt a lot longer I had a very vivid image of Hans standing behind me, his charming grin underneath his wavy brown hair. He'd fit in perfectly with the crowd here. A tingling sensation spread from my chest down my legs and arms but then I heard a familiar voice in my ear that sent a very different kind of sensation through my chest. "You look absolutely stunning, Miss Shields."

I turned around, ready to scold Anna for scaring me like that, but my voice got stuck on the way out when I saw the redhead standing in front of me. My turning movement had caused Anna's hand to slide off of my back and onto my waist, where it lingered for a second before it fell down to her side. The thumb of her other hand was hooked into the pocket of her tailored blazer, made from a velvety dark green material that made her hair look like it was on fire. She was wearing it down over her left shoulder, taking some of the attention away from the bruise on her face. It was impossible to cover it up completely however and she hadn't made any other attempts, only framing her eyes with a heavier amount of eyeliner than usual.

My eyes slid downwards from her face towards the white silk dress shirt underneath her blazer that was left open at the top to show off her freckled chest, across the blazer which had one large button on the front which I really wanted to open later on and down to her black tailored pants.

Anna turned her face away from me and quickly held out her left arm. I was wondering why my back was suddenly so tense when I realised I had been leaning forward to kiss her. I shook my head to get rid of the faint ringing in my ears. I had almost forgotten where we were, the vision that was Anna taking most reason from my mind.

I took Anna's arm. "You look..." I wracked my brain trying to find the correct adjective to describe her but Anna just laughed.

"You don't have to say it, your eyes said it for you." She put her right hand on my lower arm, running her thumb over my skin in a quick movement that went unnoticed by everyone but made my stomach jump up.

Anna led me over to her parents, who smiled happily when they saw me. They were both dressed in black again, quite similar to the times I had seen them over the past weeks. I nodded and smiled back at them both. "Agdar, Idunn. Good to see you."

Idunn kissed my cheek. "It's good to see you, Elsa." The woman looked over my shoulder. "Where is that lovely young man Kristoff?" I mumbled something incoherent but she had already shifted her attention to her daughter. She brought her hand up to Anna's face, who recoiled slightly. "Oh don't be like that Anna, I just wanted to bring your hair forward over that ungodly bruise of yours." I smelled alcohol on the woman's breath. It wasn't very strong but strong enough.

"I think it makes her look even beautifuller. More beautiful. Not fuller." The words stumbled out of my mouth and even though Idunn didn't seem to notice I saw Agdar eye me curiously. I quickly smiled at him to pretend there was nothing behind my words but I had the feeling I hadn't fooled him, especially when he then turned to me.

"Elsa, would you care to dance?" I blinked, slightly taken aback. I had just found Anna and the feeling of her elbow pressing into my side made me feel warm and content. I didn't really want to let her go yet. _But you can't just say no._

"Of course." I managed not to look longingly at Anna as she took my clutch from me and I took my arm back from her to put my hand on Agdar's. The orchestra started playing a waltz as Agdar led me to the dance floor, skilfully weaving us through the crowd.

"I wanted to get a dance off of you before everyone realises who you are. By then you'll be the belle of the ball and everyone will want a piece of you." Agdar smiled and turned towards me when we reached the edge of the dancing area, where several couples were already swerving around on the energetic waltz that was being played.

The people next to us smiled and made some room for us, but I was suddenly eyeing them differently than before. _They all want a piece of me? I guess I can't be surprised, being the new CEO, but..._ A flutter of nervousness settled itself in my stomach and I was growing more and more anxious at the prospect of having to speak in front of all these people. I was usually fine with public speaking, but this was another thing entirely. _Give me a board meeting over this any day._

Agdar put his hand on my waist and I automatically put mine on his shoulder. He led me into the waltz and I followed him as he skilfully wove us in between the couples already on the floor. His hand was relaxed but firm on my waist and it was easy to follow his lead. I found myself enjoying the dance, against my expectations. My eyes kept scanning the people around us however, a piece of my brain still constantly looking for danger. _There are so many people._

"Is everything alright, Elsa?" I looked back at Agdar's face, his neatly trimmed moustache and his slightly worried blue eyes. "You've looked quite nervous ever since I saw you walking off with that employee fellow."

"You saw that?" I smiled at the man and released his shoulder when he pirouetted me, quickly putting it back at the end of the twist.

"You're hard to miss. You look absolutely beautiful tonight. Something my daughter has also seemed to notice."

I felt blood rush to my head and block out some of my hearing. "You... saw that too then?"

The man smiled and he suddenly looked tired and older than before. He looked at me affectionately and I felt a pang in my chest when I remembered that my father used to look at me the same way. I swallowed heavily whilst Agdar sighed. "I might be a klutz when it comes to my family sometimes, but I know my daughter. Idunn refuses to accept it but I can see that Anna cares for you in more than just a friendly way." I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt the man. That, and I was afraid that if I'd open my mouth I might say something stupid. Or vomit. _Either he'll tell me to back off or he'll give me his blessing. Either way it doesn't matter, I'm not giving her up._

"I just ask that when and if she shows these affections to you, you let her down gently. I don't want to see her hurt any further. I'm glad she's found a friend in you but maybe it's best if you tell her to find some others. Maybe she'll find a boy to settle down with." I blinked. _I guess there's a third option._ The waltz ended and everyone stopped to give short applause. Agdar and I joined in, my mind racing and my eyes flicking from side to side.

I had promised Anna I would let her tell her parents about us. _Would just telling her dad now be breaking that promise? He set it up himself, all I have to do is say that we've been dating. He apparently already knows she's gay... Although he doesn't seem to fully understand what that means._

"Do you mind if I cut in?" I turned around to find Henry standing behind us, tapping Agdar on his shoulder.

The older man turned around. "Ah, Henry! Of course, of course. Would you mind if I in turn took your girlfriend for a spin?" He made a bow towards Cindy, who was standing on the edge of the dance floor and seemed to be positively fuming at Henry.

I had to suppress a giggle. "Henry, shouldn't you offer your girlfriend the first dance of the evening?"

The boy shrugged as Agdar moved towards Cindy. He put his hand on my waist and kind of awkwardly stood in front of me, catching my eyes. "Well I told her it's a work formal and I'd be spending a lot of time at your side." He looked down at his feet quickly while we waited for the orchestra to start back up again.

"Did that explanation include dancing with your boss?" I tried not to laugh too much. It helped that I was very aware of his hand low on my waist. There was nothing sensual about it but it made me think back to Anna and how much I would rather have her hand there.

Henry was clearly preoccupied with other things. "Not really. And I can't say I've often danced before."

"In that case." I moved his hand to my shoulder and put my own on his waist. "I'll lead." _Just please play another waltz and not something quicker._

My wish was fulfilled when the orchestra struck up another piece of Mozart and I carefully started leading Henry into the waltz, taking small steps to let him figure out the rhythm. "Was there something you needed to talk about, Henry? Or did you just want to embarrass yourself on the dance floor?"

"That's mean." He started to get the hang of it however, quicker than I had expected him to. _Then again he's a martial artist and has quick feet anyway._ "But yeah I was just not very happy with leaving you alone for that long. Anna would kill me if anything happened to you." He looked up, confident enough to take his eyes off his feet. "She'd have to get in line behind myself, though."

"You're a good friend, Henry." I meant what I said and squeezed the boy's side gently. He smiled happily in response.

"I'm just so frustrated that I've never seen a picture of this Hans fellow. I mean how do I know who to beat up if I don't know what he looks like?"

"Maybe we should have a secret gesture or something," I said with a smirk. I was kidding of course, but Henry wasn't.

"You know, maybe we should."

"Don't worry Henry, I'll text you or tell you when I see him. But I don't think he'll just show up here." I sighed, suddenly slightly irritated. "Plus I'm getting a bit sick of thinking and talking about Hans all the time. We're at a formal, I just want to enjoy myself, dance with my girlfriend and be bored by lawyers whilst drinking champagne."

Henry grinned. "That sounds like a fun evening. Except for the lawyer part perhaps."

I was impressed by how quickly the boy picked up on the dance and I was just contemplating whether I should give him the lead when the orchestra died down in the middle of their song. All eyes in the room turned towards the stage and the loud murmur of voices slowly died down.

Mr. Andrews stepped up onto the stage next to the conductor with a microphone in his hand. A few people applauded when they saw him but he quickly waved his hand, silencing them. He rapped his fingers on the microphone and then brought it up to his mouth. Henry stood to my left and took my arm. I shot him a look. _Cindy will have a fit, you know that right?_

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you all to the Pinehearth Winter Formal." I joined the rest of the applause. "Last year's formal was a great success and my wife and I didn't hesitate for a moment when we were offered the honour of hosting it again this year. Will someone keep an eye on Mr. McDougall though, our fountain is still recovering from last year's assault." A few sounds of laughter rose up from the crowd and a man yelled something about spiked champagne from my left, eliciting more laughs.

"Sure Mr. McDougall, it was purely our fault you managed to drink two whole bottles before collapsing and taking part of our fountain with you." I smirked. Of course I hadn't been here last year but the atmosphere so far was light and friendly. "Now I promise to keep my speech short. In fact, I'm almost finished. Just let me introduce you to someone who most of you already know by name." I felt icy tendrils climb up my throat. _Shit I have absolutely no clue what to say._ "In fact, everyone knows her father as he was the founder of our great company."

My eyes narrowed. _He called him the founder. Not the co-founder. Oh that'll sting Holter._ I didn't get a chance to think about it any further though. "It is my honour to introduce you to the new CEO of Holter & Shields, none other than Maurice's daughter - Elsa Shields."

A storm of applause went up as Henry escorted me to the stage. I felt hundreds of eyes on me as I grabbed the skirts of my dress to step up, ignoring Henry's hand but shooting him a nervous smile. I quickly turned back towards the crowd, very insecure about my exposed back, only to face a beaming Mr. Andrews. He handed me the microphone. "You'll be fine," he said softly as he shook my hand and took a step back.

"Good evening, everyone." My voice skipped a beat, making it sound like I was on the verge of tears. _Make a save. Come on._ I cleared my throat, pulling the corner of my mouth up into a smile. "Excuse me, I'm coming down with a cold." _They seem to be sensitive to jokes._ "Two of my friends forced this dress on me, not thinking an exposed back might cause me any discomfort only two weeks after the snow melted off the ground." _Okay, not hilarious, but better than nothing._

I scanned the crowd, swallowing nervously at the large amount of eyes on me. Then my gaze fell on Anna, standing next to her parents at the edge of the dance floor. She gave me a thumbs up, eliciting a disapproving look from both her mom and dad. It calmed me down immensely though. _It's just a crowd of people. You can do this._

"I only had the privilege of knowing my father for a few years. Some of you worked with him and knew him for a long time, longer than I have. I cannot say that I knew much about law when I was merely nine years old, but there are a few things that I have always remembered and those are his passions. He had a passion for hunting and music, forcing me behind a piano from the age of four." I smiled to show the crowd that I was joking and many of the faces softened, including my own. I often thought about my father but I rarely spoke of him. "His biggest passion was always this company though. He always managed to make time for me and my brother but at the end of the day he could always be found in his study, working on god knows what. Even then I already felt that this was an important part of his life."

I looked at Mr. Andrews, who was standing slightly behind me. He smiled and nodded at me. "I took up a position at the company when I was fresh out of law school and I've worked my proverbial behind off for several years, preparing myself for the moment when I would be allowed to follow in my father's footsteps." I locked eyes with Anna again. "Over the past three months a lot of things have happened to me. I was very unsure about what was going to happen to me for a while but I received help from someone I've come to care about deeply. I was reconnected with my own passions and two months ago I received the amazing honour of finally filling my father's shoes when I took up my new position as CEO. I must say they are a lot bigger than I expected and even more uncomfortable - but I'm starting to walk them in and I feel like in a few more months I might just be able to lace them up."

Andrews gestured a waiter over as I finished up my speech. Looking at Anna turned into something quite uncomfortable, the way her eyes had changed when I indirectly mentioned her made my spine tingle. Instead I scanned the crowd again, locking eyes with as many people as I could. "I'm hoping you will all support me in this journey I've started. Compared to all of you I'm just starting to walk while you've already finished several marathons." I nodded. "Which is not me saying you're all a bunch of old people." Laughter now bubbled up in the crowd.

"That's alright dear, most of us are," someone yelled. Andrews was just handing me a glass and I raised it to the crowd.

"That's Miss Shields to you, kind sir." A large amount of people laughed and applauded and I took it as a good point to end the speech so I handed the microphone back to Andrews, who brought it back to his lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to propose a toast." I lingered on stage, knowing my face was rather flushed but choosing to pretend it wasn't. _Well that could've gone worse at least._ "To Miss Shields. May she reign with wisdom and great stock value." He raised his glass to me and I raised mine back before taking a sip. I was tempted to down the whole glass but that wouldn't be very CEO-like. I raised my glass at the crowd again, who were applauding or raising their glasses with us.

Henry was waiting for me at the edge of the stage and this time I took his hand to step down. I thanked him with a smile and was just about to make my way over to Anna when my way was blocked by some people who wanted to shake my hand and introduce themselves. _Well, here we go I guess._

* * *

It was a full two hours later when I finally reached Anna. Henry had been sticking with me, acting as my PA, so Anna had sacrificed herself by hanging out with Cindy. The orchestra had started playing some quicker music and the dance floor was rather full, the freely flowing champagne making a lot of people unjustly confident in their dancing skills.

I managed to dodge a couple who were engaged in a quickstep and put my hand on Anna's shoulder. The younger girl didn't look around but she did reach back, putting her arm around my waist and pulling me closer to her. I glanced at her parents, Idunn waving happily at me and Agdar sagely nodding like he knew exactly what was going on. _Oh boy, this is going to be interesting._

I leaned over to Anna. "What do you say we go get some food?" _I still need to find that chocolate._ My stomach growled loudly to emphasise my words and Anna squeezed my side, opening her mouth to excuse herself to Cindy. The girl was already pushing her way past me however, striding towards her boyfriend who had quite an alarmed look on his face. Anna and I chuckled behind our hands. "Let's go before she changes her mind," I said. Anna nodded and grabbed my hand, but before we could move we were cut off by a grey-haired man with a very imposing moustache.

"Miss Shields, lovely to make your acquaintance," he said as he held out his hand. The fingers of his other hand were hidden inside his dress shirt, which was tucked into a kilt with a very intricate and beautiful belt. _Oh come on, can't you people leave me alone for a minute?_

I managed to smile warmly and grabbed the man's hand, but before he could say any more Anna pulled on my arm and I had to take a quick step to the side not to fall over. The man raised his eyebrows and I managed an apologetic face before turning back to the front, trying not to trip over my dress at the pace Anna had set. "Anna, that might have been someone important. What are you..."

"Apparently the only way I get to talk to you tonight is during a dance." We stopped in the middle of the dance floor as the last tones of the quickstep died out. The people around us stopped their dance and applauded, Anna just looked up at me. _Damn I'm a lot taller at the moment._

"Anna, I don't know if..." Before I could finish my objection Anna put her hand on the small of my back and pulled me against her, masking the movement with a glance to the side as she stuck out her elbow.

"I've been very patient all night, now I want to dance with my girlfriend." Anna looked up at me with dark eyes and I swallowed heavily when I noticed the way she was biting her lower lip.

"Fine, just let me take off my shoes." Anna let go of me and I quickly kicked off my shoes. Henry appeared out of nowhere and took them from me, giving us a slight smirk and faintly nodded to where Anna's parents were. They were now both eyeing us curiously, Agdar with a slightly darker expression than his wife who just seemed confused.

I turned my back on the couple and looked at Anna, resting my hand on her shoulder and intertwining the fingers of our free hands. Anna curtly flexed the hand on my back and I felt her nails scrape softly over my skin, sending a rush of electricity up my spine. "Anna, you need to know something."

I glanced up at the stage and saw one of the cellists was quickly replacing one of the strings on his instrument, holding up the music. Anna raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "What's that?"

"Your dad. He told me that he knows you're gay."

Anna didn't exactly respond as I had expected, she just huffed and grinned. "Yeah, sure. Like that'll happen." My face stayed serious however and soon her face fell. "Elsa, the man is more oblivious to me than a snowman is to heat. You must have misunderstood him."

"I don't think I did." I felt Anna's hand clench mine and I lowered them both, looking intently at the redhead. "He doesn't know we're together though. He told me that maybe we should stop being friends, because he's afraid you might like me."

"And what do you think about that?" Anna's eyes were fiery, making her look rather intimidating. The bruise on her face didn't help either.

I squeezed her shoulder. "I was tempted to tell him to go screw himself with a broomstick, but I promised you that we'd tell them together. So I just ignored it." I felt rather smug with myself, knowing that Anna usually appreciated a bit of profanity at the right moment.

She indeed grinned, grimacing at the pain in her cheek. I looked worried but she shook her head. "Maybe we should just tell them that, to go fuck themselves with broomsticks. It would be worth it just to see their faces when you turn out not to be the perfect little girl they think you are." Our eyes locked and I was very tempted to lean over and kiss her, only stopped by my own insecurity with all these people around us. Anna's eyes softened and she untangled our hands, bringing one up to push some hair behind my ear. "You're perfect to me though."

The music started up before I could respond and before I knew it my feet were following Anna's lead, my brain still somewhere behind me on the ballroom floor. Where I had enjoyed dancing with Agdar, having his daughter's hands on my back and pressing against my palm completely made me lose grip on my surroundings and my eyes lost themselves in Anna's bright green ones, trusting her not to send us crashing into anyone else.

The music was a blur to me, the only clear thing that managed to pierce my brain was the feeling of Anna's body against mine, her thighs pressing against my own whenever we moved forwards or backwards. We had probably already been dancing for a full minute when I realised we were dancing a tango and that there were a lot more eyes on us than just Anna's parents'. When Anna saw my eyes flick to the side she dug her hand into my back. "Screw them," she mouthed as she pulled me into a quick spin.

"But Anna, your parents..." The redhead shushed me as she set one of her legs in between mine, spinning us in place again. _Holy shit she's good._

"Do you want to talk about my parents or do you want to dance?"

A smirk spread across my face. "Dance. Definitely dance." My dress swirled around my calves and Anna's legs as we used up most of the dance floor, Anna's strong hands easily moving me in every direction she wanted me to go. I licked my lips, the building pressure in my chest combined with the fast paced dance making me slightly dizzy. "If you keep using your hands like that I don't know if my knees will hold," I half joked.

"My hands can do a lot more than this," Anna said in a low voice as she suddenly changed our direction, spinning the other way. I automatically copied her when we changed hands as well, Anna using the moment to place her hand slightly lower down my back.

I realised we were both panting lightly and I had the strong inkling that, just like mine, Anna's increased breathing wasn't just from the dance. Any thoughts of her parents, or anyone else for that matter, were pushed to the back of my mind as I kept looking down into Anna's eyes, my grip on her shoulder just as firm as hers was on my back. Everything else outside of the two of us was a blur, even the music seemed to have died out.

It took us a few seconds to realise the music had actually died out and it wasn't just us. We came to a halt in the middle of the dance floor, both breathing heavily and keeping a firm grip on each other. I looked up and saw that the dance floor was empty. Everyone had stepped aside to make room for us and several people were applauding, although some were muttering softly amongst themselves - but one thing was for sure, everyone was looking at us.

Anna lowered our intertwined hands but kept the one on my back in place. "It's your party, but if you want to kiss me that's fine by me," she said softly, sending me scrambling for my sanity once more.

Without a second thought I placed a hand on the side of her face and pressed my mouth against hers.


	17. Chapter 17: The button

**/Okay guys, here it is. Try not to read this in class or on the bus or in any other room where there are other people. Unless you can read sexy times without blushing, then go for it. Oh the first chunk of the chapter is fine btw. Like, no sexy times. Wait what's that? Stop talking? Oh ok.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17  
**The button

It was just a kiss. A brushing together of lips, contact that lasted no longer than two seconds. I didn't wrap my arms around her, I didn't force my tongue inside her mouth, we didn't end up ripping each other's clothes off on the dance floor. It was just a kiss. Right?

Wrong. As soon as I pulled back from the soft kiss I felt the tension in the room cover me like a blanket. Not a soothing, warm and snugly blanket, but a very prickly and hairy one that your older brother would wrap you in for fun and just laugh as you would start crying, begging to be let out.

I slowly retracted my palm from Anna's face and lowered it to hers, softly wrapping our hands together. It was the only contact we had as I turned to the side, not ready and not willing to confront the hundreds of faces that were pointed our way. The ones that stood out from amongst all the others were Agdar and Idunn's. Agdar his eyes were dark and unyielding, where Idunn seemed to be caught in a wave of dizziness that threatened to knock her off her feet. Henry was standing next to the woman, holding on to her lower arm as he shot me an unnerved look. It seemed to tell me to run, but maybe that was just me.

_What did you do. Oh my god. Please reverse time. This is not happening._ Reality seemed to slow down until I wasn't sure what was real anymore. Anna's hand in mine felt real, but I couldn't feel the floor anymore. It made me wonder if what I was seeing was actually happening. Maybe if I willed it hard enough, I would realise that everything was OK and that I hadn't just wrecked my young career. Anna squeezed my hand. "Elsa you're going white, please stay with me. We'll be fine."

My jaw locked on itself as terror started settling in my limbs. _Anna is right. Now is not the time. You're the CEO. This is not the time. Try to relax. Put it away. Conceal, don't feel._ "Ladies and gentlemen," a voice sounded through the speakers.

I turned around, mostly forced by Anna - but she managed to hide my stiffness by sliding her arm through mine in a cordial manner. I'm sure we looked like quite a friendly pair to the outside world, just two good friends. If only I hadn't just kissed her in front of a crowd.

Andrews was up on stage, the microphone against his lips. "Will you please join me in an applause for these two wonderful dancers. I sure am jealous and if I didn't have a prosthetic hip I'd ask Miss Almstedt or Miss Shields to take me for a spin," he joked. _Great, tell the whole room her last name. I was hoping some people didn't already know that I was dating my employee's daughter._ There was a polite amount of applause however and Anna jokingly bowed to our large group of spectators. I didn't move, still doing my utmost best to ignore the amount of adrenaline amassing itself in my chest and arms. The skin on my arms felt icy and I was sure Anna must be feeling the icy spikes extending themselves like frostbite - but she just kept holding on to my arm, hugging it close to her.

"Now if everyone would please follow my wife outside, we have a fire show planned for you. The fireworks last year were a spectacle to behold, but just wait until you see these people." I kept standing there, frozen in place, with Anna squeezing my arm tightly. _It's just adrenaline. You've felt it before. You'll be fine. Anna is here._ I hadn't noticed the redhead had been speaking to me constantly so when the attention slowly turned away from us she pinched me sharply on my arm.

"Elsa. You with me?"

I blinked and looked to my side, unable to focus on Anna. _The feeling in your face will come back. There are no insects crawling on your head, that's just the adrenaline._ "What?"

"We'll be fine, Munchy. Just give them a minute and they'll forget all about it." _You've been through this before. It sucks, yes. You'll be fine. Just remember that word. Focus on that word. Fine. Anna. Fine._ The movement of Anna's hair told me she had glanced to the side. "My parents are coming. Just let me handle them, please." _Oh shit, her parents. Don't hit Anna. Don't be mad at her. It's my fault. I kissed her._ I felt a different set of hands on my other arm as Anna released her grasp on my other one. I tried to reach for it, hold on to it, but she moved away. _No please don't leave me here, Anna. Don't..._

The owner of the hands that were now grasping my arm led me to the side. I wasn't sure where we were going, all I could do not to fall was remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other. _Where are my shoes? Who's holding on to me? Wait no let me go, I need to stay with Anna._ The unknown touch on my arm felt like a vice, the places our skin touched seemed to be radiating fire through my skin and into my muscles. _Let me go._ I had the overwhelming feeling that I didn't want to be touched right now. I didn't have the clarity of mind to respond eloquently though, all my energy and focus was spent on trying to stay upright and not give in to the anxiety. Little did I know that I was already knee-deep into an attack. _I need to get back to Anna. I need her._

"Elsa." I recognised Henry's voice. _Is he the one holding on to my arm?_ I managed to glance up and indeed saw Henry looking down on me, his eyes filled with worry and distress. His face was darker than I remembered. _Did his skin change colour? No that's not it._ It took me a few seconds to notice my back was pressed against the wall of the ballroom, behind the pillars and the curtains that were covering us in shadows. It took me another moment to realise I was sitting down instead of standing. _When did that happen?_

Henry was still holding on to my arm however and that combined with the fact that I was sitting caused a flare of pins and needles to surge through my limbs. I tried scurrying to the side, away from the hands that were touching my skin. "Let go of me," I managed to force out of my throat as I swatted at the person squatting down next to me.

The boy let go and allowed me to create some distance between us. I tried to get up but tangled my legs in my dress. _Where is Anna, I need to get to Anna._ Henry moved in front of me, not touching me but prepared to catch me if something happened. "Anna is fine." I hadn't realised I had been muttering her name. _Was I? I don't know._ A new voice came from the side, a man. He had a faint Scottish accent and handed Henry a glass of water.

"My wife used to get anxiety as well. May I?" A glance in his direction showed me the faint image of a kilt, it was the man who Anna had dragged me away from. I was seeing everything through a haze though, and time seemed to be rather fluid - one moment the man was standing to the side, half a second later he was squatting in front of me with his hands on my knees. "Hello, Elsa." _Stay away from me. No, please don't._

"Sir please, I don't think that's wise right now." Henry stood to the side, wringing his hands. My eyes shot between the two men. I managed to focus on the Scottish man's face in front of me. It didn't look worried or soft however. The man seemed to be enjoying himself.

_Get away from me, get away._ "Don't," I muttered. I had been so far gone that I had completely forgotten about my breathing. I now felt that my lungs were struggling and my ribs were sore.

"Relax, girl." The man put his weight on his other leg, bringing his body in between Henry and me. I was still sitting on the floor, trying to get the stars to leave my vision and trying to ignore the ants that were parading across my skull.

"Sir, I must ask you to leave. Now." Henry's voice sounded like it came through a thick cloud and I wondered when he had said it. As soon as his voice died away I wasn't even sure whether he had said anything at all. _Just please leave me alone, everyone go away. Anna, where's Anna._

I don't know why I did it. Something inside of me told me to look up, look at the man squatting in front of me. I locked eyes with him. His eyes were a dark brown with a slight hint of light brown in the centre, almost yellow. I could see his eyes so clearly I saw the separate ridges in his iris, a small black spot that sat to the left of his pupil in his right eye. It was then that I felt a hand high up my leg, underneath my dress. It wasn't on my knee or thigh - I felt him touch the fabric of my underwear right on the hip bone.

A scream tore from my throat as I brought my hand out into his face and a second later the man was gone. I saw Henry hauling him up by his arms, tossing him aside like he was a ragdoll. Two seconds later I felt someone wrap their arms around my shoulders. I immediately tried to fight them, flailing my arms around as my vision started getting dark. Strong hands pulled me in however and as soon as Anna's smell filled my nose I let go of everything and felt my mind go blank.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" The male voice clawed its way into my ear as I struggled to open my eyes. My eyelids felt like they were glued shut and I was sure there was an elephant sitting on my chest.

"She had a panic attack, that's all. There's nothing wrong with her." I recognised Anna's voice and it seemed to wake me up from a slumber I hadn't known I was in. I moved my arms and squeezed my eyes, breathing in deeply to try and get my bearings.

"She's waking up," another male voice said. The floor underneath my head dented, causing me to frown. _No, not floor. Cushion._ I opened my eyes and saw Anna sitting above my head, a worried but intensely affectionate look on her face. She cupped my face upside down with her hand and looked down on me.

"Munchy, are you okay? Feeling better?" Now that I was waking up I could hear the orchestra playing nearby. _Okay so we're still at the formal, just in another room._

"What happened?" My voice sounded raw and an arm appeared into view, a glass of water in its hand. I followed it up to Henry's face, who was standing up rather rigidly. I let my eyes wander over the rest of the room as I took the glass from him. I didn't recognise the space we were in but it seemed rather empty, with bare walls and just the sofa as far as I could see. When my eyes found Agdar and Idunn standing near the door my breath hitched however and I dropped the glass. "Shit," I muttered.

"That's okay," Anna said quickly. When she saw I was trying to get up she helped me into a sitting position, one arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I felt something prick into my hip and frowned, but before I could say anything Anna spoke up. "You fainted. You hyperventilated and fainted. That's all."

"That's all!?" My eyes found Idunn, who was trembling slightly. I half expected Agdar to hold on to his wife but he didn't, he just leaned into the wall behind him.

Anna shot her parents a sharp look. "Yes, Idunn, that's all."

"Elsa, your PA grabbed one of your company's biggest clients and tossed him into the wall. What do you say to that?"

I frowned, trying to remember what exactly had happened. Everything since the moment I had kissed Anna on the dance floor was a blur to me and just thinking back made my throat clench up again. I didn't want to dig into that right now, but there was something about that man that made my insides churn.

Another sharp prick into my skin caused me to reach through the slit in my dress to my hip, not thinking about what exactly I was doing. "Elsa, what the fuck?" Anna's hand rushed to pull my dress back over my legs when I pulled my hand back out, a piece of paper in it.

"This was in my underwear..." I shook my head. _Come on, remember. How did it get there again?_ It was completely silent for a full ten seconds, whilst Henry turned back to face me. He had looked away when I had reached underneath my skirt. Now that my mind was clearing up more and more, the fact that I had just done that made me flush slightly. "Sorry about that, I wasn't thinking."

Henry reached towards the paper. "Don't worry about it. May I have that?" I handed it to the boy, completely forgetting about Anna's parents. Anna's arm around my shoulders was way more important to me right now. I leaned sideways into the girl, looking for more comfort in her warmth. It was only a slight movement but Anna understood, squeezing my shoulder and taking my hand in hers. I put my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. She pressed her face in my hair, giving me small kisses whilst muttering soft words to calm me down.

I hadn't seen Henry pull out his phone and I was so focused on Anna that when he suddenly spoke up my eyes flew open and I lifted up my head. "Hello? Yes, I'm sorry for calling you at this hour but it's important. I'm Miss Shields' PA, Henry Lepidus." I frowned at the boy to my left, wondering who he was talking to, but then my eyes flicked back to the right where Anna's parents were still staring at us. I tried letting go of Anna's hand but she just squeezed it harder so all I could do was shoot a slightly distraught look at the couple. I thought I mostly saw confusion in Idunn's eyes, but Agdar's eyes were dark.

"We're at the Pinehearth manor. Yes, that one. We'll be here." Henry hung up the phone. "Masters is on his way."

"Lieutenant Masters?" I looked at the boy quizzically, wondering what the paper had said to make the boy immediately call in the cavalry.

"I don't give a bloody fuck about that piece of paper, or that guy in the ballroom." Henry, Anna and I all looked at Agdar, who was starting to turn an alarming shade of red as he stood against the wall, his fists trembling at his side.

"Agdar, please, can we talk about this later? I don't..." Anna made a very valiant attempt at calming her father down by letting go of me and stretching her hands out in a soothing manner, but her father didn't want to hear any of it.

"You shut up! I am your father and I will not have any of this!" I blinked, taken aback by the man's outburst. I wasn't expecting it from him at all. Maybe having the inkling that his daughter might be gay was all he could handle and seeing the reality in front of his eyes had pushed him over the edge.

To heighten my surprise, Idunn turned to face her husband. "Please dear, I don't think this is the moment. Look at Elsa, she's still white as a sheet."

"I don't care!" He pointed a trembling finger at me, a vein in his neck pulsing dangerously. "I trusted you," he hissed. "I thought you might be the good influence my daughter needed, but instead you corrupt her with your... with this..."

Anna jumped up and I grabbed the back of her blazer, partly because I needed her close to me to keep me calm and partly because I was afraid she might rush her father. "Don't you talk to Elsa that way, Agdar. It's me you're angry at, not her."

"I told you to shut up!" Agdar's voice lapsed, making him sound even more dangerous. Henry moved ever so slightly to Anna's side, facing me. He didn't exactly step in between Anna and Agdar but the movements his eyes made from side to side told me he was tensed up and ready to act if things escalated.

"You're abominations, both of you." Agdar lowered his hand but he was still shaking. Idunn tried grabbing hold of his arm but he shrugged her off.

"Agdar." The woman leant down ever so slightly, pleading with her husband. "This is our daughter, Anna. Please, we need to talk about this. Don't do this, she's our daughter. Please..." I saw tears running down her face and I hugged myself, feeling like an intruder into what was clearly a family issue.

_I thought Idunn was the most religious one. I didn't expect this. I guess it's the quiet ones._ Agdar's nostrils were flaring outwards as he looked from his wife to me, resting his eyes on Anna. "This is not what God intended."

I was proud of Anna for keeping her mouth shut this long, even though I had noticed she had started trembling in an uncanny resemblance to her father. "Doesn't the Bible say to love one another, especially your family?" She sucked in a shuddering breath.

Idunn finally managed to get a hold of her husband's arm and she squeezed it. "That's true, Agdar. We can work through this. We're a family first." I saw her hesitate for a moment. "The Bible isn't everything."

Agdar his eyes now fixed on mine and I was unable to look away. He shook his head, his teeth clenched together. His tongue then darted out to wet his lips, his eyes wide and slightly maniacal. "Monster."

My fingers lost their grasp on Anna's blazer when she surged forward, but luckily Henry was faster. He wrapped his arms around her chest, pinning her arms to her sides. The speed with which he had to intercept her caused them to both fall to the ground and Henry twisted so that he landed on his back, Anna sideways on top of him. "Let go of me," she growled as she struggled against Henry's arms.

I witnessed the scene and was highly surprised how little it did to me. Yes, I felt warm inside from the fact that Anna was willing to punch her father in the face over an insult directed at me, but the insult itself hadn't swayed me that much. Agdar only managed to make himself look like a fool, rather than making me feel bad about myself. _Maybe I should thank him._

I looked up at Agdar, who looked a bit startled, and Idunn, who was staring down at her daughter with an expression on her face I didn't quite understand. She turned towards her husband. "Get out," she said. He looked at her, confused, but she crossed her arms in a sudden display of eerie calmness. "I said, get out. Leave."

"Idunn, what are you..."

"You do not get to talk about my daughter that way. Nor about the... the person she loves. Look at what you're doing to her." I saw the woman swallow and realised her resolve wasn't very strong. Any little push from Agdar might break it.

The man just shook his head and without any further comments or glances he strode through the door, slamming it behind him. Immediately the atmosphere in the room shifted and Henry quickly let go of Anna, who rolled off of him and jumped up. Henry was cat-like in the speed with which he was also back on his feet, his tux slightly wrinkled. He eyed Anna like she was a dangerous wild animal who could snarl and lash out at any second.

Instead, the redhead frowned lightly, an otherwise rather relaxed expression on her face and in her stance. "Well, that was bound to happen."

Idunn stood there, looking at her daughter. She had both her hands in front of her mouth and was still trembling slightly, but she too seemed to have calmed now that Agdar had left the room.

A silence dawned over the room, only broken by the music still drifting through the walls. There were also the occasional chattering voices when footmen or guests passed the closed door. I crossed my legs, unsure and rather confused as to why the situation had suddenly defused like that. _Oh so now you're worrying about there not being too much tension? And where the hell are my shoes?_

"So." Idunn rubbed her palms on her dress. Anna stood in front of her, her hands in the pockets of her blazer. Henry moved to sit next to me, apparently sure Anna didn't need any more restraining. I put a hand on his arm in a silent thanks for his intervention earlier as we both tried to look anywhere but the mother and daughter in front of us.

"So," Anna replied. Her hair was a bit ruffled from her tumble with Henry and I saw the button of her blazer lying to the side on the floor. I resisted the sudden urge to pick it up.

"You two. How long have you..." Idunn kept rubbing her palms on her dress in a very nervous and insecure manner, but she was trying. _She was really trying._

"We've known each other for a while." Anna looked at her mom, a slightly worried look on her face. But there was also affection. Her mom was still here, and she was asking about us. _She's really trying._ "We met at a concert in a pub. Elsa got... she stayed over. She wasn't in a very happy mood, because work wasn't all that great."

Idunn looked at me. "When was this?"

I bit my lip. "The Friday before I called you to tell you about the sudden timetable shift in the takeover of your company."

Her eyes widened for a second, then she nodded. "Oh. That's not too long ago, I guess." To my surprise her mouth curled up in half a smile. "So at the dinner..."

I nodded. "You kind of backed me into a corner when you told me to bring my boyfriend. I knew you were religious, so I asked Kristoff along. He's a friend of both me and Anna."

Anna interjected. "She didn't know you were my parents, otherwise we would've dealt with it very differently."

Idunn then surprised all of us by laughing. It was half cynical, half shocked. "Well then. I must say it does explain a lot of things." She looked at her daughter. "I just... I don't understand."

Anna frowned. "What don't you understand?"

"This... gay thing." She raised her hands. "I just don't understand. The Bible clearly states that it's wrong but... It's not a choice or anything, is it?"

Anna shook her head. "It's not." She ran her tongue over her teeth, thinking. "Have you ever been in love, mom?"

I could see Idunn's eyes widen slightly when Anna dropped her first name. I wonder how long it had been since Anna had actually called her mother 'mom'. "Yes, I have."

"Butterflies in your stomach, can't stop thinking about that person, being all gooey when you see them... Just hearing their name makes you all warm and fuzzy inside. That kind of in love?" Idunn nodded and Anna smiled and shrugged. "Well you get that with men. I get it with women. I have that with Elsa." I felt my heart flutter up when she said that and Henry softly squeezed my arm.

"And not with men? Not at all?" Anna shook her head and Idunn nodded, clearly trying to process all this information. She looked really small as she was standing there at the wall so I reached my foot out and nudged Anna in the calf. She looked around at me and I nodded at her mom. 'Hug her,' I mouthed at her. Her eyes widened but she immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders, causing Idunn to stiffen and freeze in place.

"I'd be happy to explain it to you, mom. Anything." She giggled. "Well maybe not -everything-, but..." I rolled my eyes. _Not now, Anna._ Anna sighed and I saw and felt a lot of tension drain out of her and her mother. She kissed her mother on the forehead. "I love you, mom."

Idunn suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter's waist and pressed her face into her shoulder, sobbing loudly. Anna looked slightly startled but she pulled her mother in close, stroking her hair while she shot me a bewildered look. I just smirked and put both my thumbs up in the air. Henry suppressed a chuckle and I poked my elbow in his ribs. _Nothing like someone else's drama to forget about your own._

The thought reminded me of my panic attack and I leaned into Henry. "Care to go for a bit of a walk so you can tell me what happened?" The boy nodded. Anna had heard me and smiled at us as we moved to the door, still allowing her mother to cry loudly into her shoulder.

Henry and I stepped out into the hallway. I didn't recognise it but it was exactly what you'd expect from a hallway in a mansion like this. A lot of wooden accents, white walls, green carpet and heavy wooden doors every other couple of feet. "Did you have a place in mind?" Henry asked. I shook my head so we just went left, both not sure where we'd end up.

"So, could you tell me what happened?"

Henry strolled next to me as we set off in a very leisurely pace. "From the moment you blacked out?"

"From the moment I kissed Anna, please." I frowned. "And if you could include where my clutch and shoes ended up."

Henry smiled faintly but looked a bit confused. "But you were there when you kissed Anna, why do you need me to tell you again? I was with you."

I shot a glance at the boy next to me. "Have you ever had a panic attack, Henry?"

He shook his head. "I can't say I have." He frowned and turned his gaze down a bit. "But I must say watching you go through one was rather terrifying. The sheer panic and dread in your eyes was..." He swallowed. "I guess you weren't really paying attention to anything then. Sorry I assumed without thinking."

"That's okay. I wish I wasn't such an expert on them either. This was my third and heaviest one up until now." _Why was that though. I wasn't worried about losing Anna this time, was I? _I shook my head. _I guess it sometimes just doesn't make sense._

We rounded a corner at the end of the hallway and I looked out a window to my right into the dark gardens. We were at the back of the house and I could see several large trees, all with lanterns in them. There were a few paths criss-crossing the lawn and in between the trees and bushes, all of them also lit up. It gave everything a silver glow and was rather beautiful.

The orchestra was still going and had gone back to playing waltzes and slightly calmer music. I smirked. _They probably won't play a tango again tonight._ The wind through a slightly opened window made me sigh contentedly. The pine scent was lovely and a good distraction from the slightly musty smell inside.

Henry touched my arm. "Are you okay?"

I looked to the side. "Yes I'm fine." I smiled. "Just enjoying the smell and view."

Henry looked out of the window as well. We had stopped in our tracks and the boy opened the window completely, leaning onto the windowsill as a gust of wind played with the small lock of hair that had gotten loose from its gelled hold on top of his head. I leaned my shoulder against the wall next to the window. "I'd offer you a stroll through the gardens, but..." Henry sighed.

"What is it, Henry?" I cocked my head. "What did that piece of paper say?"

Henry glanced at me before looking back out the window. "Let me tell you what happened in the ballroom first." I nodded slowly. _Please don't trigger anything again._ I felt a lot better but as usual it would take me a while to be completely fine again. _Although fainting was quite a good remedy._

"Well I think it's safe to say almost everyone in the ballroom was rather shocked when you kissed Anna." He smirked lightly. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it. You were dancing so intensely, it was an absolute joy to watch... it only made sense to end up with a kiss. Don't blame yourself for doing that. If you hadn't I might've just rushed the dance floor and yelled at you for not seizing the moment."

Henry turned and also leaned against the wall on the other side of the window, mirroring me. "I could immediately see that the Almstedts weren't exactly amused though. I didn't really care about the others, but even during the dance I could see Idunn was rather taken aback. She'd been drinking and well, I figured I might lend her a hand." He laughed. "You have to really hand it to Andrews though. He really saved your ass. Thanks to him almost no-one saw you break down."

He bit his lip. "That sounded rude, sorry."

I shrugged, crossing my arms. "Well that's what I did, I think." I tried remembering what Andrews had said and done, but I couldn't remember. _But he made sure most people didn't see me. I need to thank him._

"Anyway, I went over and escorted you to the side as Anna got into a discussion with her parents. She has your clutch, by the way. And your shoes are somewhere in the ballroom." He shrugged. "Since you asked. Anyway, I didn't hear all of it but to me it sounded mostly like Agdar was being mad at her for making a fool of their family, so soon after the takeover and all that. Anna was more interested in making sure they wouldn't make things worse for you, being the new CEO. Something about 'keeping it professional' between you and them." My heart warmed a bit at that but I knew that I couldn't count on the Almstedts anymore. At least not on Agdar. I shivered slightly. _That's definitely not an option anymore._

Henry took my shiver as a sign of cold so he closed the window and gestured down the hallway. We set off again and he continued his story. "The ballroom emptied rather quickly and by the time you were sitting down against the wall almost everyone had gone. Then this guy showed up wearing a kilt, holding a glass of water." The memory of a kilt flashed through my mind and I inhaled sharply, causing Henry to put a hand on my shoulder. "Okay that was definitely not you enjoying the smells."

Memories washed over me and I swayed on my feet, involuntarily bringing a hand down to cover my hip. "He put that piece of paper in my underwear."

Henry gritted his teeth as he gently moved me to the wall so I had something to lean against. "Yeah that's what I was afraid of. I didn't really see him do anything, he was in between you and me, but when you screamed I immediately tossed him aside." He leaned a hand against the wall next to my shoulder in a protective manner, using his other hand to cover his eyes for a moment. When he lowered it his eyes had turned sad. "I'm so sorry I didn't make him leave sooner. He seemed to just be worried about you. Had I known... I wouldn't have let him leave."

I took one last deep breath, finding steady ground again in the protected feeling Henry gave me. "Had you known what?"

"Elsa?" Ed Masters came walking down the hallway wearing a terribly cliché light brown long detective's coat, flanked by two uniformed police officers and the young footman Charles scurrying after them. Henry pushed himself off of the wall but kept standing close to me. Ed looked at him. "You're Lepidus?"

"Please, call me Henry. My forefathers had terrible taste in names. And you are a very fast responder." Henry immediately fell back in his role, baring his sparkling white teeth and holding out his hand. Masters only grabbed it for a short second before looking back at me.

"What's going on?" I in my turn looked at Henry, who gestured behind us.

"Please, let's head back to the other room. Anna will want to hear this as well." He walked ahead of the rest of us, Ed trailing alongside me with the officers and Charles in our wake. The boy was apparently adamant in keeping an eye on us, or he was just looking for gossip.

We rounded the corner again and Ed looked at me. "You look beautiful by the way, Elsa."

Henry snorted. "Don't even try mate."

Ed flushed a slight red. "Excuse me?"

The boy in front of us glanced over his shoulder as I bit my lip, trying not to blush too much. "She's just come out by kissing her girlfriend in front of an entire room of lawyery hotshots. You don't stand a chance."

Masters frowned. "Your girlfriend? You don't mean Anna, do you?"

I sighed deeply. "It's a long story. But yeah. Anna."

Henry held open the door for us and we walked back into the room to find Anna and her mother sitting on the couch, their hands entangled in their laps. It looked like Idunn would rather be sitting on Anna's lap, the way she was leaning into her daughter. It made my heart melt to see the usually strong woman reduced to such a state, but I was glad that she and Anna had at least made up.

Anna now looked up and raised her eyebrows at the group of people marching into the rather small room. Ed told the officers to wait outside the door however and when Charles tried to follow us Henry put his palm on the younger boy's forehead and pushed him back out before closing the door in his face. I heard a faint 'oh man!' come through the door and I smirked, but my smile quickly faltered when I saw Henry's serious face as he turned to the lieutenant. "Okay I'll give you the short version."

Ed looked at me and I nodded, indicating that Henry was allowed to speak for us. "The night was going fine. Elsa did her little speech as CEO and she made her rounds talking to everyone. Then she and Anna decided to dance, after which they kissed." Ed shot me another glance but I ignored him, sitting down on Idunn's other side. To my surprise the woman untangled one of her hands from Anna's and took one of my hands without saying a word.

"Elsa panicked when she realised what was going on. Hell I would've panicked as well if all those hundreds of people would've stared at me like that. Anyway, Andrews tactically emptied the ballroom and Elsa was sitting against the wall when this guy walks up and..." He shook his head, pursing his lips for a moment as he fished the piece of paper from his pocket. "The bastard put this in Elsa's underwear."

Anna shot up onto her feet, positively shouting. "He did what?!" Henry turned towards her and put his hands on her shoulders, then turned her around to face me. I got up and pulled the girl into a hug.

"Please, Anna. I need you to be calm for me right now. No more screaming." Anna immediately wrapped her arms back around me and pressed her face into my neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. If I'd have known I would've broken his face." I chuckled softly, but Anna pulled back from the hug and looked at me with a very serious look on her face. "I'm not kidding. I would have broken his cheekbones, his jaw, his nose... I would have literally broken his face in half."

Ed Masters cleared his throat and I saw he had the note in his hand. "I'll disregard that blatant description of aggravated assault, because we have more important things on our mind." He looked at me. "Did you know who that man was?" I shook my head and he sighed, opening the note back up to read it to us. "'We can get to you anywhere, anytime. Give up. Signed, Duff Killigan.'"

I squinted as the bottom dropped out of my stomach. "That was Duff Killigan? The man in the kilt? The man with his hand underneath my dress?"

Idunn looked confused. "That man is one of our biggest clients, Mr. McDougall. Not this Killigan you speak of." I had almost forgotten the woman was sitting there but the sight of a police lieutenant seemed to have sobered her up. Her make-up was smudged around her face but her eyes seemed alert.

"Mom, it's a very long story. I think it's better if you don't get involved right now." Anna sucked on her tongue. "Do you have any idea where Agdar went?"

Idunn shook her head, but then decisively got up. "No but I'll go look for him." Her eyes moved from me to Anna. "Be careful. I love you." She then turned her eyes at Henry. "I might need some help with my make-up, could your girlfriend help me out with that?"

I saw the colour drain from Henry's face as his eyes widened dangerously. "Oh shit, Cindy. I completely forgot about her."

Henry and Idunn left together. I shook my head, laughing softly. Anna looked at me. "How can you laugh? That was Duff Killigan, he was right on top of you." She made a very tense impression, flexing her fingers and rolling her shoulders. "Quite literally, I might add."

Ed held up his hands and we both looked at him. I snaked my arm around Anna's waist and I felt how tense her core muscles were. I tried softly squeezing them but it didn't have a lot of effect, other than that it seemed to make her ticklish. She did put her arm around my waist as well, pulling me close to her.

The lieutenant shot our arms a quick look before looking me in the face. "I'm afraid I can no longer keep this under the table. Not only will it be against my oath as an officer of the law, but my conscience wouldn't be able to cope with keeping this a secret any longer." He pulled a small notepad and a pen from an inside pocket of his coat. _I didn't know they still used those._ "You'll have round-the-clock company of a protective detail from now on. Officers will be stationed outside your house and office. Wherever you go, they go." He scribbled something onto his notepad. "You still live in that apartment building?"

I shook my head. "No I moved recently. As in, today." I let go of Anna and moved over to the man to write down my new address. "It might be worth mentioning that I'm living together with Mulan Shang, a martial arts instructor."

I turned back towards Anna when she spoke. "Yeah and we'll make sure that there's always one of us at her side. Me, Merida, Henry, Mulan." She scowled at me. "No more nights sneaking home alone when you think it's okay." I grinned sheepishly. _Okay so she did know about that._

The lieutenant nodded slowly. "Well if you don't mind I won't waver the protective duty. The guns will probably help. But I appreciate the fact Elsa will have friends with her." He looked at me. "The coming time won't be easy. I wouldn't be surprised if they already know I'm here. As soon as I start looking into this they might double their efforts."

"I have some information concerning Killigan and the company that you might be interested in."

Ed nodded. "Tell me everything you know. Please."

* * *

The fire crackled and spat some sparks at us. They just fluttered down to the stone hearth and died there, a weak reflection of the large fire they had been a part of. I felt slightly drowsy from both the scotch and the heat of the fire on my skin. The whole room was filled with the lovely warm smell of burning wood.

Mulan took another large log from the large metal tub next to the fireplace and threw it into the flames. It made our faces light up brightly. Anna and I were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, me staring into the fire as Mulan used the cast iron poker to rearrange the log. When she was satisfied she sat back down next to me. Merida was also still there, sitting behind us on the couch with the eyes of someone who was completely withdrawn into their own world. The lights were off and it was hard to make her out against the dark backdrop of the couch and the rest of the room.

"Well seeing how I'm not paying you any rent I guess I can make an exception and offer my protective services for free." Mulan smiled faintly as she winked at me. We had just finished telling her and Merida everything that had happened that night. Idunn had found Agdar in the gardens and I had gotten Henry to drive them home, Idunn having had too much to drink and Agdar a crumpled mess of emotions. I hadn't seen him but according to Henry's texts I had received just half an hour ago he was a complete wreck. _Serves him right_.

I didn't really want to think about them anymore though. In fact I wanted to get the whole night out of my head. When we got home I had immediately showered and changed out of the dress and was now sitting in front of the fireplace in my grey sweatpants and a dark red t-shirt. I never recovered my shoes. Anna hadn't changed though and was now playing with the hole in her blazer where there had been a button before. "Well let's think about all the good things that came from tonight," she said.

Mulan and I looked at her, Merida apparently wasn't listening to either of us. Anna leant back onto her stretched arms, her legs crossed in front of her, and shot me a look that made my spine tingle. "Well I finally came out to my parents. And I finally got to show my dad how I feel about him."

"I'm glad Henry tackled you though. I'd rather have you here than in jail."

Mulan leaned forward and looked at Anna with raised eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Anna looked grumpily at me before she turned her eyes on Mulan. "Nothing happened. He called Elsa a monster and said she corrupted me and..." She shook her head. "I wanted to walk up to him to shove him, but Henry stopped me. So nothing happened." _Just shove him?_ I suddenly felt a bit bad for assuming she'd punch her own dad. _Of course she wouldn't just do that, you twat._

"And you made peace with your mom," I added, trying to steer the conversation back to happier things. I also crossed my legs, sitting slightly further back from the fire than Anna. I absently ran my fingers up and down her lower arm, causing the hairs on her skin to stand on end.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Anna was quiet for a little while, staring into the fire, before she chuckled. "For some reason I thought my dad would've been more OK with it. Especially after what you told me on the dance floor."

"Yeah, same. I think that the faint idea and possibility that you were gay were already a lot for him to handle. When he then saw it however..."

"Me and you, their perfect little girl." She winked at me. "That's probably why he freaked. They've been so full of you ever since you met them. Maybe he felt like you were his last chance or something."

"Last chance of what?"

"A normal daughter, a lawyer like them."

I was tempted to ask about her sister, wasn't she normal? The moment wasn't right, however, so I just kept quiet. Mulan reached back and grabbed the bottle of scotch that was sitting on the coffee table. She refilled all four of our glasses, giving herself a royal amount. "I think I'll take this upstairs." I couldn't help but feel like we scared her off, but I appreciated that she wanted to give us some privacy.

As soon as her footsteps died out above our heads Anna straightened up again, grabbing her glass. She swirled the alcohol around and took a sip, smacking her tongue. "I don't often drink this stuff, but I guess I can get used to it."

I looked at her back. "You'd better, that's Dalmore 18 at a hundred dollars a bottle," I joked.

Anna frowned, staring down at her glass. I let my eyes wander down the part of her face I could see, illuminated by the fire. I shuffled a bit closer to her and rested my chin on her shoulder, leaning into her and wrapping my hands around her waist. She in turn put her hand on the inside of my knee, hugging it to her thigh.

She turned her head sideward and I caught her lips in a kiss. Despite the slightly awkward angle it was soft but intimate and when Anna pulled back to stare at the fire I felt a pang of disappointment. Anna set her glass down and rubbed her eyes. "I don't think I can finish all of this though."

I chuckled. "Says the girl who can down more vodka in one night than I could in an entire week."

Anna flicked my nose with her finger. "Well this isn't vodka, is it, Miss Shields."

I smiled mischievously when I dug my fingers into her side. "Oh I'm sorry, Miss Almstedt." Anna squealed and tried to get away from me but I latched on to her waist, my fingers running over her sides underneath her blazer.

"I-I'm so, so so-sorry," Anna managed to squeeze out in between hiccups of laughter. She turned towards me, her strong arms trying to grab my wrists. When she managed to get a hold on them she pushed me onto my back and dug her fingers into my sides. What followed was a rather wild struggle for dominance as we rolled from side to side, both wailing with laughter.

Anna was of course the stronger one and it didn't take her that long to pin me down, straddling my hips and pinning my wrists to the ground next to my head. We were both panting and rather flushed from our struggle, but the realisation of our current position seemed to hit both of us at the same time. Anna scrambled to get off of me just as I was planning an attempt to reach up to catch her lips.

"Sorry," Anna muttered as she stood up.

"It's okay, I didn't mind," I responded as I pushed myself up onto my elbows.

"I'll go have a shower." Her face was still flushed and I saw her biting her lip.

"Okay, my clothes are either in my wardrobe or in boxes in my bedroom." Anna nodded at me and moved off towards the stairs, leaving me lying on the ground with a very confused look on my face. _What just happened? Why'd she stop?_ I suddenly realised and I let myself fall back onto the floor, rubbing my face with my hands. _Of course, the panic attack and everything tonight. Killigan stuffing things in my underwear. She doesn't want to trigger anything._

Being around Anna only made me feel safe however and the thoughts that had been tumbling through my head when Anna had me pinned to the floor had had nothing to do with Killigan or anything else that evening. _Perhaps maybe that dance. That was a good dance._

I got up to put the glasses in the kitchen and clear away the scotch. I used the poker to scatter the wood still burning in the fireplace. It was small enough for me not to worry about my new house catching on fire, but I still sat with it for a little while longer. I heard Anna's footsteps leave the shower and move over to my room, but I was still caught up in my own thoughts.

Andrews had been rather calm about the whole ordeal. He had seen that I had been distraught and when the police had arrived he had steered them clear of the crowd. According to him almost no-one knew about what had happened and he had even tried to reassure me about me and Anna before I left. 'Don't worry about those old geezers, they don't have anything to do with your personal life anyway.' I smiled faintly.

My mind now wandered back to earlier that evening, before things had gone downhill. I replayed the dance in my head, how Anna's hands had moved me across the dance floor, turning me in every direction she wanted me to go. How she had placed her leg in between or outside mine, brushing our thighs together during the twists and direction changes. I licked my lips, absently putting my hand on my back where hers had been during the dance.

My face flushed even further when I then thought back to how she'd pinned me down on the floor, or a few weeks ago when she had hiked me up on the desk. It also made me feel slightly insecure, however. I knew my body wasn't physically repulsive, but the idea of literally and figuratively baring myself to someone else so completely was terrifying for me. Anna had broken down almost the entire wall I had built around myself but that last brick was rather stubborn. I loved the redhead and I wanted nothing more than run my hands all over her, but the thought that she might do the same to me was... embarrassing. _I'm sure she wouldn't mind._ I rubbed my face. I trusted Anna completely but what if we got intimate and I did something wrong? What if there was something wrong with me? How could anyone ever want to touch me in that way?

I sighed deeply, pressing my palms into my eyes. _If you keep thinking like that it'll never happen. Anna won't instigate it, she promised you that, so if you don't make a move, no-one will._

I tried driving the thoughts out of my head but I couldn't shake the arousal that had settled itself in my stomach and lower. The fire had almost completely died now and a slight chill ran up my spine.

"Ye should go to her." My heart threatened to leap out of my chest when Merida spoke up from the darkness behind me.

"Shit Merida, I forgot you were there." I paused, frowning and flushing again. "Like, I really forgot you were there. Sorry, that was a bit inappropriate."

"S just a tickle fight. S not like ye were rippin' the clothes off of each other. Not with yer hands at least... yer eyes kinda gave ye away though." I could tell she was trying not to laugh, even though I couldn't make out her face in the light of the dying fire.

I got up, the heat from my embarrassment driving out the chill from the room. Standing up I could make out Merida, curled in a blanket on the couch. I made a face at her and moved towards the stairs. She yelled after me. "Don't be too loud, I want ta get some sleep." I bit my lip and chose to ignore her, but my heart was beating a little faster nonetheless.

* * *

When I carefully pushed open the door to my bedroom I saw Anna lying in my bed on her left side, facing the wall away from me. She was lying on top of the covers and I wondered whether she had been waiting for me. She seemed to be fast asleep now however and she didn't respond when I closed the door.

I quickly changed into my dark blue pyjamas and stood next to the bed, the silky material nice and light but cold as well. I needed to get Anna underneath the covers or she'd freeze, but I didn't want to wake her up either. I bit my lip but then thought of a compromise. I snuggled up behind her, pressing my stomach against her back and pulling the covers up to cover us both, my right arm around her shoulders over the blanket. _Like a wrap_, I thought amusedly.

Instead of being caught up by sleep however, the feeling of Anna's warm back pressing against my stomach caused my ears to rush ever so lightly. My left arm was stretched right up underneath my own head and I was quite comfortable, but a different kind of unease settled itself in my stomach. I slid my right arm underneath the covers and put it around Anna's waist, as I had done before - but this time it was different. I was very aware of Anna's steady breathing, how her stomach expanded and retracted underneath my arm. She was wearing a large shirt and boxers again, as she usually did, but instead of it being endearing it suddenly filled my head with possibilities for the amount of room it left underneath the shirt.

_Can I do this? She's asleep, I might wake her up. Would she mind?_ I licked my lips and repositioned myself slightly, leaning onto my elbow and supporting my head with my hand. I put my right hand on her side, slowly running it down towards her hip. I enjoyed the feeling of her muscles underneath her shirt so on my way back up from her hip I dared to slide my hand underneath her shirt instead of over it, breathing in sharply at how her soft skin rippled underneath my fingers. I then slid my hand forward onto her abdomen, wanting to feel the muscles there too. I had felt them before, but never like this. Running my hand over her skin while she was asleep felt slightly wrong however, although I was rather sure she wouldn't mind.

I sighed and pulled my hand back, but then I frowned. _Hold on, is she still asleep?_ The girl's breathing had definitely changed. It was going slightly faster and was more shallow now, making her chest rise rather than her abdomen. I put my hand back on her side, over her shirt, and shortly ran my nails up her ribs. I felt her right arm and side tense up shortly at the touch and I smiled. _Yeah okay, she's awake._

If there was one thing I was sure of it was that Anna would definitely not let me do anything she didn't want. The fact that the girl was awake and just lying there with her back pressed into my stomach, letting me touch her, made my head swim and I felt a tingling in my core. It also made me slightly unsure however. _Okay, what do I do now? _I internally scolded myself. _Stop thinking, that's what you do._

I slowly brought my hand back underneath her shirt, caressing the redheads' stomach with my nails. It caused her muscles to tense and ripple underneath my touch and it made me feel strangely powerful, having her body react to my hand like that. I liked the feedback and wanted more, so I brought my face down and pressed my lips to the pulse in her neck. It elicited a sharp inhale from the girl, but otherwise she kept still. I didn't mind, considering the lack of protest as permission to continue for now.

I brought my hand back to her side, squeezing a little harder now. I got a handful of muscle and a very slight sound escaped Anna's throat, causing my breath to hitch. I ran my hand down towards her hip and back, now using my nails rather than my fingers. _Can I touch her somewhere else?_ I was a bit apprehensive about continuing so my hand came to a halt on Anna's waist and I pulled my face away from her neck.

The girl now moved, turning her face up to look at me. She saw my face and brought her right hand up to caress my cheek. I looked at the slight glint in the girl's eyes. It was dark so it was hard to make out her expression, but she ran her finger across my jaw. "What's up?"

I bit my lip. "I'm just not sure what to do." Saying it out loud made it sound pathetic and I buried my face in the mattress behind her head, groaning softly.

Anna put her hand on top of mine, still resting on her side. She squeezed it and brought it back to her stomach. "It's okay, Munchy. I'll just be lying here, not doing anything." She turned her face to look at me over her shoulder. "Just... do whatever you want. Trust me, I'll let you know if you do something that's not OK." She moved to roll her head back forward but paused for one last comment. "And if you do something OK you'll probably notice," she said with a smile in her voice.

I sighed. My resolve was almost gone and I considered just rolling over and trying to go to sleep, but then I felt Anna's side rise underneath my arm again as she inhaled deeply. I clenched my jaw for a second before tentatively scratching my fingers over her stomach again, trying to make the muscles ripple again. My mouth pulled up into a grin when they indeed moved and I pressed my hand into her stomach, pulling her more tightly against me. Anna kept her promise and didn't do anything, but I didn't mind whatsoever. I had her permission to explore... so explore I would.

Leaning over a bit further this time I pressed a kiss to Anna's jaw where her neck reached her ear. I took her earlobe in my mouth and sucked it softly whilst continuing to gently massage her stomach and side with my hand. I ran my mouth down her neck and flicked my tongue out when I reached her clavicle. The shirt she was wearing had a wide neckline so I had access to her shoulder, which I gladly made use of.

Butterflies swam through my own stomach as I remembered our encounter in my office two weeks back and I bit down on Anna's shoulder, evoking a deliciously sharp inhale from the redhead. I quickly flicked my tongue out and kissed the spot where I had just bit her, my head swimming with arousal. I wanted more of her.

Bringing my mouth back up to her neck I brought my fingers in circles higher up her stomach until I was caressing the skin just underneath her breasts. A small sliver of doubt settled itself in the back of my head again but the heat in my own core won and I carefully pressed my palm against Anna's left breast, weighing the small mound in my hand. I started making circles, squeezing the remarkably soft tissue as Anna's breath quickened. I noticed she was tensing and moving her legs around a bit, probably slightly frustrated she had promised me not to move. I brought my right leg up and over hers, hooking her knee with my heel and pulling her leg back.

I saw Anna's mouth was hanging slightly open and her hands were clutching the covers we were lying on. The air inside our little cocoon was getting quite warm and I felt myself starting to sweat lightly, the places where our skin touched becoming hotter and hotter despite the layers of fabric still in between us.

The pressure in my own lower abdomen grew as I rolled Anna's hard nipple in between my fingers, causing the redhead to now clench her jaw shut. I alternated between licking, sucking and softly biting her neck and shoulder, intensely enjoying how Anna seemed to melt underneath my touch. _You're touching Anna. Holy shit, you're touching her breasts._

Soft moans kept escaping Anna's lips as she visibly struggled not to move around too much. I contemplated telling her she could move and join in, but I was enjoying myself so immensely the way things were I just bit down on her neck. Anna yelped at the sharp sensation and I could see the covers underneath her hands move as she clutched down harder. I felt the heat in between my legs growing and I wondered whether Anna was feeling the same way.

_Can I?_ I removed my hand from Anna's breast, causing the redhead to whimper softly. I ran it down her stomach until my fingers hit the edge of her boxers. I softly kissed Anna's neck and shoulder as I hooked my thumb underneath the elastic band, slightly nervous. My thumb hit a few hairs and my breath hitched. I brought my face up to look down onto Anna's form lying in front of me. I had never had my hands anywhere else than on myself, and even that had been on very rare occasions, never being able to give myself the release I had read about in a few of my books and on very singular web searches. Before I could bail out however I quickly reminded myself of Anna's words. _I'll let you know if you do something that's not OK._

I slowly brought my hand underneath Anna's boxers, my fingers meeting slickness as they brushed over the hairs in between her legs. In a rush of confidence I brought my right leg in between Anna's knees and angled it so that my foot was on the bed, spreading Anna's legs to allow me better access. The sudden movement made Anna's breath hitch and I saw her glance at me, a heat in her eyes that set my own core on fire and told me she had absolutely no objections to my actions.

I ran a finger over the wet folds underneath my hand and Anna's eyes fluttered shut again. I explored carefully, down from her entrance up to the sensitive bud that made Anna's whole body tense up when I ran my finger over it. I decided to focus there and started circling it with two fingers whilst I brought my face back down to kiss Anna's shoulder and neck. I softly bit down on her skin as I felt her breathing become irregular, the muscles in her neck and jaw tense. I took her squirming as a very good sign so I sped up, the rubbing made easy by the fact my fingers were coated in Anna's wetness.

Anna leaned her head back against my arm, panting heavily, and I angled my face to caress the front of her neck. I licked underneath her chin, my right hand speeding up on top of Anna's core. It caused my forearm to cramp up slightly but I didn't mind, Anna's soft moans and heavy breathing enough reward for my still increasing efforts.

I watched how her posture continuously shifted over the next few minutes as Anna's breathing kept going faster and got more shallow and irregular. "Holy... shit... don't stop..." Anna moaned as she rocked her hips back and forth, pushing herself up against my hand. Sweat was beading on her forehead, glistening in the slight amount of moonlight coming through my drapes. I could feel her body start tensing up like it was building towards something and when it released Anna quickly brought her hand to her mouth, biting down on her knuckles. I kept rubbing, albeit a bit slower whilst Anna trembled against my hand, her hips jerking and her back rolling against my chest. After a few seconds she caught my hand and pulled it up and away from herself, entangling her trembling fingers with my slick ones. I felt her relax, taking deep breaths and hugging my forearm to her chest. I pressed my forehead against the back of her head, finally giving my cramped up left arm some rest from holding me up all that time.

After about a minute Anna turned around and rolled on top of me, pushing me onto my back. I was a bit taken aback but a different feeling replaced my surprise when Anna pressed her lips against mine, running both her hands through my hair. I ran my hands down her back as I slightly parted my lips, inviting her to deepen the kiss. She swiftly did so, running her tongue across my lips before pushing it into my mouth. She then sucked my tongue in between her teeth before pulling back from the kiss. In the dark I couldn't see her face but I knew she was looking down on me. "Now, will you let me return the favour please?"

* * *

**/I like you people.**


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